Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs will be eligible to return for his team's Week 7 game against the Detroit Lions despite the NFL's ongoing investigation into his conduct.
"The National Football League today notified Josh Jacobs of the Green Bay Packers that he will be removed from the Commissioner Exempt List on Oct. 19," the league said in a statement. "He will be eligible to play in the Packers' Week 7 game on Oct. 25 after missing six games."
Jacobs has been on the commissioner's exempt list since Aug. 30 after he was charged with two misdemeanors – one for battery, one for criminal damage to property. Those charges stemmed from an arrest in May following an incident involving the 28-year-old and his ex-girlfriend.
Jacobs reached a plea
deal in September, but the NFL's investigation is still ongoing. That is likely due in part to the league's desire to see video of the incident that led to Jacobs' arrest.
"The NFL initiated an investigation under the Personal Conduct Policy following Jacobs' arrest in May," the leagues Oct. 16 statement said. "The league's review remains ongoing and is not affected by this change to Jacobs' roster status."
Attempts by Jacobs and his ex-girlfriend, who is not named in court documents, to seal the evidence have proven to be unsuccessful so far, opening the door for the league to pursue legal avenues to obtain the footage.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin police are delaying the release of video evidence cited in the criminal investigation into Jacobs' alleged domestic assault to requesting parties, including USA TODAY Sports.
Jacobs and his ex-girlfriend filed separate injunctions against the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department on Oct. 14 in an attempt to stop the police from releasing records to the public.
Josh Jacobs update: Latest news from court case
Jacobs pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property during a court appearance on Thursday, Sept. 10.
As part of an announced plea deal, the 28-year-old was found guilty on the charge of battery and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus costs.
For the second charge of criminal damage to property, Jacobs reached a deferred judgment agreement. He will have to meet a list of conditions for the next 12 months in order to have that charge dismissed by the state: no further criminal acts, no contact with the victim, supervision, counseling and restitution payment to the victim.
The presiding judge temporarily sealed the evidence from the case on Sept. 10 after Jacobs' no-contest plea.
On Tuesday, Sept. 15, attorneys representing Jacobs' ex-girlfriend filed a motion to permanently seal the evidence and discovery materials. If approved, the motion could have prevented the NFL from reviewing surveillance camera footage of the incident as part of its investigation into Jacobs. NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport was the first to report that the league requested access to the video.
On Thursday, Sept. 17, the judge rejected the proposed order to seal the evidence, with online court records citing "improper format." At a follow-up hearing on Sept. 24, the Brown County Court Judge lifted a temporary order that sealed records in the case.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14, Jacobs and his ex-girlfriend each filed injunctions against the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department in an attempt to stop police from releasing the video to the public. Jacobs wants a protective order to permanently seal all records in the case, while his ex-girlfriend wants to restrict only the garage video and other information that could potentially identify her.
Jacobs' ex-girlfriend's attorneys have argued that the sealing of evidence is within her rights under Marsy's Law – a recently added amendment to Wisconsin's state constitution that gives additional rights to victims of a crime – to protect privacy, dignity and safety.
When will Josh Jacobs play again?
Jacobs will be eligible to play in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions.
Will Josh Jacobs be suspended again in the future?
It's unclear what the NFL will suspend Jacobs in the future after the investigation is complete.
The games he misses while on the commissioner's exempt list will count towards whatever potential suspension the league could decide to hand down. The running back would also have to return the salary he earned while on the exempt list and remain unpaid throughout any suspension.
According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFLPA, a standard suspension for a domestic violence case is six games. Suspensions can be longer depending on the severity of the case, which is part of why the league typically tries to access video of incidents.
If the NFL decides to move forward without the video or is unable to obtain it, that could impact the decision on the length of any future suspension.
USA TODAY Sports' Danielle Lerner and Jack McKessy contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Packers RB Josh Jacobs will be able to return in Week 7
