Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs said Wednesday that he is not trying to win back fans who see him differently after his May arrest.
Jacobs spoke for the first time since the incident, which led to his no-contest plea to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property. He missed the first six games on the commissioner’s exempt list and returned to practice Wednesday.
The NFL’s review under its personal conduct policy continues. Wisconsin Sports Heroics has followed the case and the league’s investigation since the summer.
Josh Jacobs: “I’m not trying to win nobody back”
Keeping the organization out of a negative light is Jacobs’ priority with the public.
“When it comes to earning the respect for the fans, I mean, for me, it’s more of a thing of not trying to put this organization in a position where it looks negative in any type of way,” Jacobs said. “But at the end of the day, people are always going to have their opinion. People are going to believe what they believe.”
“And it’s not really my job to try to explain or discount certain things. All I can try to do is control what I can control and move on from there,” Jacobs continued.
“Honestly, I’m not trying to, me personally, I’m not trying to win nobody back. And that’s just me being all the way honest. Because at the end of the day, like I said, I know what happened, you know,” Jacobs added.
Josh Jacobs says it “should have never even happened”
Jacobs also said he feels bad about the situation and understands fans who are upset.
“And if you feel some type of way, obviously I feel bad because it’s still a situation that occurred and it should have never even happened. So that’s something that I still will understand if people feel some type of way about it,” Jacobs said.
“But like I said, all I can do is keep showing up and being who I am. Being, you know, a leader for this team, being a leader in this community. And that’s really all I can control,” Jacobs continued.
He opened the availability with an apology. He said he is “remorseful and sorry for putting this team in this situation.”
Josh Jacobs did not feel he had to earn back the locker room
Jacobs was a Packers captain the previous two seasons.
“No, I don’t think I had to earn respect back from the guys because I’m the same person every day. Like I said, at the end of the day, we’re human. We all make mistakes. It’s just different for me because I’m in the public eye,” Jacobs said.
“But, you know, like I said, I let other people speak to my character and who I am and who I consistently have been,” Jacobs continued.
The Packers never moved off him. Coach Matt LaFleur said Aug. 28 that he “fully anticipate[s] him being a member of our team.” On Wednesday, LaFleur called Jacobs “extremely remorseful.”
Jacobs’ status for Sunday at the Detroit Lions has not been set. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
More Green Bay Packers news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
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- Keisean Nixon warns entire NFL as Packers await Josh Jacobs and Micah Parsons
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