Josh Jacobs’ battery victim has asked a Wisconsin judge to permanently seal evidence related to the Green Bay Packers running back’s case.
In a court filing in Brown County, Wisconsin, the woman, identified only as “ANM,” asserted that her “privacy, dignity, and safety” might be jeopardized if the public were permitted to view the purported video of the violent event that took place at Josh Jacobs’ residence.
The victim’s attorneys cited Marsy’s Law in the motion and said sealing the evidence “avoids unnecessary public attention, protects ANM’s contact information and prevents anticipated economic, physical and psychological effects.”
On May 26, Josh Jacobs was taken into custody and placed in the Brown County Jail on five charges: intimidation of a victim, criminal damage to property/domestic abuse, battery/domestic abuse, and strangulation and suffocation (a felony). The prosecution claimed that on May 23, after Jacobs was suspected of “talking to other girls,” he and his girlfriend got into a violent altercation at his Wisconsin home.
The Packers running back pleaded guilty last week to one misdemeanor charge of battery and one misdemeanor charge of criminal damage to property. The court imposed a $1,000 fine and court costs.
The victim’s motion also stated that “unless restrained, Hobart-Lawrence Police Department may disclose records or information in a manner that irreparably compromises Petitioner’s privacy and safety. Once sensitive information is released publicly, the resulting harm cannot be fully remedied.”
According to the New York Post, although a judge granted a temporary injunction on September 10, the judge has yet to rule on ANM’s request to permanently seal the evidence in the case against Jacobs.
The NFL has been seeking surveillance video from the incident
In a criminal complaint, police stated that they had access to security footage showing Jacobs fighting the woman “in the garage.” They also asserted that additional footage showed Jacobs taking the woman’s “phone while she was on the floor of the garage” before returning and damaging it.
It had been anticipated that police records requests would make the footage accessible to the general public. According to reports, the NFL has been trying to access the footage, which may affect whether Josh Jacobs faces further punishment, such as a suspension.
Jacobs has been on the NFL’s Commissioner Exempt List since August 30, which prevents him from practicing or playing with the Packers while the league investigates his case.
“We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter, which remains under review of the personal conduct policy,” the NFL wrote in a statement following Josh Jacobs’ plea deal. “There is no change to his status as he remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt list.”