A Brown County, Wisconsin, judge has ordered all evidence in the case against Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs to be sealed, preventing the release of video purportedly showing him assaulting his girlfriend. The order comes after Jacobs, a three-time Pro Bowl player, entered a no-contest plea to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property on Thursday.
A court filing obtained by The California Post indicates the judge issued the order to seal evidence, including video recordings, police reports, and photographs, citing the need to protect the privacy and well-being of both Jacobs and the victim. The court stated that public disclosure could "threaten or substantially impair" their privacy, dignity, personal security, emotional well-being, or ability to participate safely in the justice process.
The order also noted that this protection is intended to prevent the "unnecessary public dissemination of information that identifies [the victim], reveals intimate or sensitive details of [the victim] or the Defendant, or creates a material risk of harm." The court further found that the public interest in safeguarding privacy and dignity outweighs any public interest in releasing sensitive material.
Jacobs was charged on August 27 with one misdemeanor count of battery and one of criminal damage to property. Prosecutors alleged that surveillance video from his Wisconsin home showed an altercation in May where Jacobs placed his hands on his girlfriend. The complaint stated that the footage showed Jacobs taking the woman's phone while she was on the garage floor and later appearing to damage it.
Following his plea, Jacobs was sentenced to a $1,000 fine plus costs for the battery charge. The sentence for the criminal damage to property charge was suspended.
"With this agreement, Josh has accepted responsibility for his conduct and resolved this matter," Jacobs' attorneys said in a statement. "Today's resolution is set against a career long history of Josh’s community work while in the NFL, which has centered on the circumstances of his early life."
Despite the resolution of the criminal case, Jacobs will remain on the NFL's commissioner's exempt list while the league conducts its own investigation into the matter, meaning he will not be allowed to practice or play with the Packers.