As Packers head coach Matt LaFleur met with the media before the team’s OTA practice on Wednesday, there was only one topic on everyone’s minds, as he was quizzed on the arrest of running back Josh Jacobs a day earlier.
Jacobs was charged with felony strangulation and suffocation, as well as four other misdemeanor charges – battery/assault, disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property and intimidation of a victim – relating to a domestic disturbance which allegedly occurred three days earlier.
On Jacobs’ arrest, LaFleur was unsurprisingly tight-lipped, starting his media availability saying: “I’m going to stick with the statement we put out as an organization and just let the process play out.”
The statement from the Packers was as follows: “We are aware of the matter involving Josh Jacobs. As it is an ongoing legal situation, we will withhold further comment.”
When asked if he has to prepare as if the Packers might be without Jacobs for some of the season, LaFleur said, “a lot’s going to happen between now and then”.
Asked when he needs a resolution on the legal matter, he said, “I’m going to let that process play out, I can’t really comment on that,” while also refusing to confirm or deny whether he has had any communication with Jacobs regarding the incident.
Legal issues like these are not common for a Packers organization that speaks regularly about the care they take regarding the types of people they put in the locker room.
LaFleur said general manager Brian Gutekunst and his staff “do a great job of valuing character and bringing in really good people.”
Jacobs is set to appear in front of a judge today after being booked into Brown County Jail yesterday, and per a statement made on his behalf, he “vehemently denies” the allegations.
His attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Clarence Duchac added: “This matter is in the early stages of investigation with important evidence that has not yet been made public. We ask for fairness and restraint while the judicial process takes its course.”
Jacobs has been the Packers’ lead back in each of the last two seasons after signing a four-year deal in the spring of 2024, coming over from the Raiders via free agency. From a football perspective, his absence would be a significant blow to Green Bay’s offense.
Asked how he feels about the depth chart at running back without Jacobs, LaFleur said: “I like the guys we have, but certainly you can never have enough”. He explained that they will let the process play out before making any additions to the position.
The Packers drafted MarShawn Lloyd in the third round two years ago, but he has been snakebitten by injuries and has hardly featured. Damien Martinez was with the rehab group on Wednesday, making for an even thinner running back group at practice.
On Lloyd’s injuries and his hopes for staying healthy this year, LaFleur said: “I think he’s done everything he can in his power to put himself in the best possible position, but he’s just going to have to go out there and prove it.”
Savion Williams took some handoffs last season, but when asked if the second-year wideout could help fill in at running back, LaFleur said that although coaches are only limited by their imagination with a versatile player like Williams, he is focusing on wide receiver right now.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Matt LaFleur staying tight-lipped regarding Josh Jacobs’ arrest
Reporting by Mark Oldacres, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
