NFL Reinstates Josh Jacobs, Jonathon Cooper From Paid Leave

The NFL is reinstating Packers running back Josh Jacobs and Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper from paid administrative leave.

The league said Friday it is removing Jacobs and Cooper from the commissioner-exempt list after each missed six games. Cooper’s reinstatement is effective Friday because the Broncos played their Week 6 game Thursday night. Jacobs’s reinstatement is effective Monday, after the Packers play Sunday.

Each player will be eligible to play on Oct. 25, when the Packers visit Detroit and the Broncos play at Arizona. 

In both cases, the NFL said it initiated an investigation after the player was arrested and that its review under the personal conduct policy “remains ongoing and is not affected by this change” to the player’s roster status.

Under the conduct policy, any games a player misses while on paid leave via placement on the exempt list are ultimately credited toward a potential unpaid suspension, with the player returning pay for the appropriate number of games.

By keeping its investigations active in these cases, the NFL is leaving open the possibility that either player could miss more games if it imposes a suspension longer than six games.

The conduct policy says that a player’s paid leave will “generally last” until a disciplinary ruling is made on a prospective fine or unpaid suspension. But in these cases, the NFL acted after six games, which is the baseline suspension for first violations of the policy in cases of domestic violence.

Jacobs pleaded no contest last month to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property. The Brown County (Wis.) District Attorney’s Office announced the charges in August after Jacobs was arrested in May on initial charges related to domestic abuse, including felony strangulation and suffocation. The NFL has not viewed surveillance video from Jacobs’s home, which could factor into a disciplinary decision.

“Josh has dedicated the last several months to bettering himself, and he accepts responsibility for his actions,” Jacobs’s attorneys said in a written statement issued Friday to Front Office Sports and other media outlets.

It continues: “He is excited to get back to work and on the field with his teammates. 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.”

Cooper faces multiple charges, including a felony assault charge, from two arrests related to incidents involving his former girlfriend in June. His trial is scheduled for March.