Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was arrested on Tuesday May 26, 2026 and booked into Brown County Jail in Wisconsin on five charges, one felony and four misdemeanors, stemming from an incident on Saturday morning that began with a disturbance complaint to the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department.
Jacobs, who is 28 years old and entering his eighth NFL season, faces a charge of felony strangulation alongside misdemeanor counts of assault, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct and intimidation of a victim. His bond was set at $1,350.
The Green Bay Packers confirmed they were aware of the situation and said they would withhold further comment because it is an ongoing legal matter.
The NFL confirmed it was aware and had been in contact with the club. Jacobs, through his attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, denied the charges in a statement released Tuesday.
“Josh vehemently denies the allegations, and this matter is in the early stages of investigation with important evidence that has not yet been made public,” the statement read. “We ask for fairness and restraint while the judicial process takes its course.”
What The Police Report Says
The Hobart/Lawrence Police Department press release that confirmed the arrest described the origin of the incident, officers were dispatched to a disturbance complaint involving Jacobs on Saturday morning.
The gap between the Saturday incident and the Tuesday arrest, approximately three days, is typical in domestic violence and assault investigations, where officers gather evidence, obtain witness statements and consult with prosecutors before making an arrest decision.
The specific circumstances of the incident have not been made public beyond the charge descriptions.
The felony strangulation charge is the most serious of the five and, in Wisconsin, is a Class H felony that carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
Strangulation, non-consensual impeding of normal breathing or blood circulation by applying pressure to the throat or neck, became a standalone felony charge in Wisconsin as part of a legislative recognition that strangulation is one of the most reliable predictors of future lethal domestic violence.
The misdemeanor assault, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct and intimidation of a victim charges fill out a picture of an incident that police determined involved multiple categories of alleged criminal conduct. The intimidation of a victim charge is specifically significant, it indicates that someone involved in the incident was allegedly subjected to conduct designed to deter them from cooperating with law enforcement.
The bond amount of $1,350 was set at his booking. Jacobs was booked into Brown County Jail. The investigation is described as ongoing.
Jacobs’ Response And What It Means
Jacobs retained high-profile criminal defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, both experienced and well-regarded defense lawyers who represent athletes and public figures in serious criminal cases, and their joint statement was immediate.
The denial was unequivocal. “Josh vehemently denies the allegations,” not a statement acknowledging some facts while disputing others, but a categorical denial paired with a suggestion that evidence has not yet been made public that will be material to how the case is understood.
The request for “fairness and restraint while the judicial process takes its course” is standard legal communication strategy, urging the public and the media not to prejudge the outcome based on the arrest alone.
An arrest represents a law enforcement determination that probable cause exists to charge the defendant, not a finding of guilt. Jacobs is entitled to the presumption of innocence as the legal process proceeds.
Whether the evidence that his attorneys reference will be available to the public before the case is adjudicated depends on the specific nature of that evidence and the timeline of the investigation and prosecution.
Wisconsin’s criminal discovery process will determine when and whether that material becomes part of the public record.
Who Is Josh Jacobs?
Josh Jacobs was the 24th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft by the then-Oakland Raiders, one of the more successful first-round running back selections of recent draft history at a position where the NFL has increasingly questioned the wisdom of spending premium picks.
He arrived from Alabama, where Nick Saban had used him as part of the same generationally talented backfield that included Damien Harris and Najee Harris at different points.
He became the Raiders’ primary ball carrier immediately and posted four consecutive seasons in Las Vegas that established him as one of the better running backs in the league.
The 2022 season was his peak performance as a Raider, he won the NFL rushing title with 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning the first of his three Pro Bowl selections and establishing himself as a player worth paying at his position’s market rate.
His departure from Las Vegas, a contract dispute that stretched across the offseason before the Packers signed him as a free agent in 2024, brought him to Green Bay alongside Jordan Love and a Packers offense that had been looking for the kind of ground threat that Jacobs provides.
His first two seasons in Green Bay have been productive. In 2025, he produced 929 yards and 13 touchdowns, a season that reflected both his receiving ability out of the backfield and the kind of short-yardage efficiency that the Packers’ offensive system requires from its running back.
He is under contract with Green Bay through the 2027 season.
He is entering his eighth NFL season. He is 28 years old, the age at which most running backs are considered to be at or past the prime of their physical capabilities.
His career statistics, 7,803 rushing yards and 74 rushing touchdowns before Tuesday, place him among the more productive running backs of his generation.
The NFL Policy That Now Applies
The NFL confirmed Tuesday that it was aware of the arrest and had been in contact with the Packers.
That statement initiates the process under the league’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, the policy that governs how the NFL handles player arrests and investigations involving domestic violence and related offenses.
Under that policy, the NFL’s security team conducts its own investigation alongside or following the criminal process.
The Commissioner has authority to place players on the Commissioner Exempt list, which allows teams to pay players while keeping them off the field, pending the outcome of investigations.
The Commissioner can also impose suspensions independent of any criminal outcome.
The NFL’s disciplinary process under the policy has produced suspensions ranging from a few games to indefinitely depending on the nature of the offense and the evidence the league gathers.
The policy was revised following the Ray Rice incident in 2014 to establish more specific minimum consequences for certain categories of conduct.
A felony strangulation charge would be among the categories that the policy’s framework treats most seriously.
Whether Jacobs is placed on the Commissioner Exempt list, suspended or allowed to participate in training camp and the 2026 season pending the investigation will be determined by the league’s process over the coming weeks and months.
The Packers’ statement committing to withhold further comment while the legal situation is ongoing is consistent with how teams typically respond during the early stages of a player arrest investigation.
The 2026 NFL regular season begins in September. Training camp opens in late July. The investigation is ongoing.
