NFL players placed on Commissioner Exempt List may return before criminal cases conclude
Three NFL players were placed on the Commissioner Exempt List, and league policy allows for possible reinstatement before their legal matters are resolved, as demonstrated by a prior case.
The NFL placed Packers running back Josh Jacobs, Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper and Seahawks cornerback Terrion Arnold on the Commissioner Exempt List, a form of paid leave used while criminal cases are pending. Under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy, such leave “generally lasts until the Disciplinary Officer and/or the league makes a disciplinary decision and any appeal from that discipline is fully resolved.”
The policy also notes that the league typically waits until a player’s criminal case is concluded before finalizing disciplinary action, meaning the leave often extends through the prosecution. However, the league has previously reinstated a player before a case ended; Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers returned after missing seven games and was later acquitted of domestic-assault charges.
League observers suggest the Peppers precedent indicates that paid leave can function like an advance suspension, with the player receiving credit for missed games if later found responsible. Jacobs faces a misdemeanor battery charge, Cooper a felony charge, and Arnold is accused of multiple serious felonies that could carry a life sentence. The timing of any reinstatement for these players remains uncertain.
"Placement on paid leave will generally last until the Disciplinary Officer and/or the league makes a disciplinary decision and any appeal from that discipline is fully resolved," the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy states.
The situation underscores that the assumption of indefinite leave until case resolution is not absolute, and any of the three athletes could be eligible to return before their legal proceedings conclude.