NFL lifts commissioner exempt status for Packers RB Josh Jacobs and Broncos LB Jonathon Cooper
The league announced that both Josh Jacobs and Jonathon Cooper will be removed from the Commissioner Exempt List and become eligible to play in Week 7 games.
The National Football League said on Friday that running back Josh Jacobs of the Green Bay Packers and pass rusher Jonathon Cooper of the Denver Broncos will be taken off the Commissioner Exempt List and will be eligible to return for Week 7 contests. Jacobs is cleared to play in the Packers' game against the Detroit Lions on Oct. 19, while Cooper can suit up for Denver's matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.
Both players were placed on the exempt list on Aug. 30 while the league continues to review their legal matters. Jacobs faced charges in Wisconsin in May, ultimately pleading no contest to misdemeanor battery and property damage, and has filed a lawsuit to seal case evidence. Cooper was arrested in Colorado in June on domestic-violence-related charges, including a felony assault by strangulation, and has a trial scheduled for March.
"Josh has dedicated the last several months to bettering himself, and he accepts responsibility for his actions," his attorneys said in a statement obtained by ESPN. "He is excited to get back to work and on the field with his teammates."
"Playing in the NFL and representing the Denver Broncos is a privilege I do not take for granted," Cooper said in an Instagram post. "I’m grateful to ownership, my teammates, coaches and everyone in the organization for their support as well as Commissioner Goodell and the league for the opportunity to return. Over the last several months, I’ve spent a lot of time working to better myself. That work will continue."
The league noted that the legal proceedings for both players remain ongoing.