Josh Jacobs says he's 'remorseful' as he returns to Packers following arrest, ongoing NFL investigation

Josh Jacobs spoke to reporters on Wednesday for the first time since he was removed from the commissioner’s exempt list.

“Excited to be back with the team, with the guys. I want to say thank you to the organization really for supporting me throughout this whole process and how everything played out.

With that being said, I can’t really get into a lot of things, like specifics of things, but obviously I’m remorseful and sorry for putting this team in this situation.

Sometimes when you go through life situations occur, and a 4-second, 3-second decision can alter your life honestly. With that being said, still a human being, man, still trying to learn, still trying to grow from the whole process. Actually learned a lot throughout this whole process, legally and just personally.

Going forward just trying to be better. I know for some people this might be a stain on me and my character. I feel like I don’t have to really speak on my character. A lotta people that know me in this locker room, or that’s been around me, I’ll let them do that.

For me, man, I’m just trying to come back in here, play ball, learn from this mistake and move forward.”

The Green Bay Packers running back missed the first six weeks of the season while the NFL investigated Jacobs’ offseason legal issue. Jacobs was placed on the list on August 30 following a domestic violence arrest last May.

The league’s investigation into Jacobs is ongoing, and the NFL said his removal from the list does not affect it.

Jacobs was arrested in northern Wisconsin on May 26 and charged with multiple counts of domestic abuse. The charges stemmed from an incident three days prior, when Jacobs allegedly grabbed a woman trying to leave his garage and threw her to the ground.

The running back was formally charged with two of those counts, battery and criminal damage to property, the week before he was placed on the commissioner exempt list. He pleaded no contest to both charges last month.

Jacobs filed a civil suit last week calling for an injunction and protective order surrounding the evidence, including footage of the incident, that would restrict access to records in his case. The Brown County district attorney has reportedly said that surveillance footage outside Jacobs' garage corroborates the victim's account of the incident.

In a statement, Jacobs' attorneys, Clarence F. Duchac III, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld, said he was "excited to get back to work" after being removed from the list.

"Josh has dedicated the last several months to bettering himself, and he accepts responsibility for his actions," the statement said, via The Ringer's Tom Pelissero. "Josh is grateful for the support he is receiving from his teammates, coaches, the Packers organization, and the greatest fans in the world. Since there are ongoing legal matters, he will not have any further comment."

Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur also spoke to reporters Wednesday about Jacobs’ return.

“I think a lot of times you get in a situation where you might not make the right decision. I think people learn from their mistakes. He’s extremely remorseful. I do believe he is a good person. I’ve been around him quite a bit. I believe in second chances.”

LaFleur said earlier in the week that Jacobs’ status for the game is still to be determined.

“We feel like he's in a pretty good spot. He's been training, but he's missed the exposure to football. [His availability] is going to be determined throughout the course of the week, see where he's at, see how he's feeling, and then we'll make a decision.”

The Packers will play the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and Jacobs is eligible to play if LaFleur and Green Bay believe he is ready.