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Judge Declines Proposed Permanent Seal in Josh Jacobs Evidence Dispute

A procedural rejection keeps the surveillance video under a temporary seal pending a Sept. 24 status conference that will affect whether the NFL can view the footage before deciding discipline.

Overview

  • Judge Marc Hammer declined to sign the proposed order to permanently seal discovery on Thursday, saying the filing was in an improper format and setting a status conference for Sept. 24.
  • Jacobs pleaded no contest on Sept. 10 to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property and was fined $1,000 with a yearlong deferred judgment on the damage count under conditions including no contact and counseling.
  • Court filings and the criminal complaint say forensic review recovered garage surveillance footage that corroborated parts of the victim’s account of the May 23 incident.
  • The footage remains under the court's temporary seal after both Jacobs and the victim sought protection for discovery and the victim’s lawyers have resubmitted a revised sealing request.
  • The ruling matters for the NFL because league officials are seeking the video for a Personal Conduct Policy review while Jacobs stays on the Commissioner’s Exempt List and any time there counts toward a potential suspension.