Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opened his Wednesday press conference with his first public comments on Josh Jacobs’s arrest in Wisconsin, saying the team will stick with its statement and let “the process play out.” Jacobs faces five criminal charges, includi
Matt LaFleur didn’t spend his Wednesday press conference talking about football first. He started with Josh Jacobs.
LaFleur. the Packers head coach. opened by making his first public comments on the running back’s arrest in Wisconsin over the weekend. Jacobs faces five criminal charges, including a felony charge of strangulation. The case also includes misdemeanor charges of battery/domestic abuse. criminal damage to property/domestic abuse. disorderly conduct/domestic abuse. and intimidation of a victim.
The Packers released a statement saying they were aware of the matter and declining further comment. LaFleur stuck closely to that posture. “I’m gonna stick with the statement that we put out as an organization and just let the process play out,” he said, via Michael Gross of Fox 11 News.
When asked whether Green Bay would need to plan for playing without Jacobs for some portion of the season, LaFleur pointed to the uncertainty ahead. “a lot’s gonna happen between now and then” before answering another question about the overall makeup of the running back group.
“I like the guys that we have, but, certainly, you can never have enough,” he said, emphasizing the strength of the group as he addressed the roster question without committing to how long Jacobs might be unavailable.
Jacobs’s representation is disputing the allegations. His attorneys released a statement saying their client “vehemently denies” the charges related to his arrest.
In the space between the Packers’ decision to wait and Jacobs’s team’s decision to deny. the only clear football timeline right now is the one LaFleur refused to lock in—because five charges. including a felony strangulation count. keep the situation in motion before the season can fully settle around it.
Matt LaFleur Josh Jacobs Packers Wisconsin arrest felony strangulation domestic abuse criminal charges team statement Michael Gross