GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is getting removed from the commissioner's exempt list and will be eligible to play again Oct. 25 at Detroit.
The NFL announced Friday that Jacobs would be removed from the list on Monday, although the league's investigation of him under its personal conduct policy continues unaffected by the change to his roster status.
Jacobs has missed the Packers' first five games and also won't be available for their Sunday night matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field. The NFL started investigating Jacobs after his arrest in May, which followed an altercation with Jacobs’ then-girlfriend.
Jacobs’ lawyers — Clarence F. Duchac III, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld — issued a statement on his behalf following the NFL’s announcement.
“Josh has dedicated the last several months to bettering himself, and he accepts responsibility for his actions,” they said. “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.”
Jacobs pleaded no contest last month to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property. The NFL placed him on the commissioner's exempt list on Aug. 30, shortly after charges were filed against him.
His status on the commissioner’s exempt list had prevented the three-time Pro Bowl selection from practicing or attending games. Players continue to get paid while on the commissioner’s exempt list. Upon request and with the club’s permission, they also can be present at the club’s facility on a reasonable basis for meetings, individual workouts, therapy and rehabilitation and other permitted non-football activities.
This announcement comes two days after Jacobs filed a lawsuit in Brown County (Wisconsin) Circuit Court against the Hobart-Lawrence (Wisconsin) Police Department as he seeks to have evidence in his case permanently sealed.
When charges were filed against Jacobs, the criminal complaint against him noted that a surveillance video from the camera system in their garage corroborated the woman’s statement. That video hasn’t been released.
The victim in that case already had requested that the evidence be permanently sealed. Clarence Duchac, the lawyer representing Jacobs in this lawsuit, said in his complaint that Jacobs “joins and supports (the victim’s) position that the identifying, private and sensitive records associated with the underlying incident should not be publicly released.”
The complaint also noted that public sports figures have recently been targeted for robberies and other related property crimes, and that releasing the video would reveal details of the garage’s interior that might put Jacobs at risk.
Jacobs was arrested May 26, three days after police officers came to his Wisconsin home to investigate a disturbance. According to police, the woman told them that Jacobs grabbed her and threw her to the ground as she was trying to exit a garage door, causing her to hit her head. Police said Jacobs also took her phone from her while she was on the ground.
Police said they noticed redness on her face and neck and could feel a bump on the back of her head.
Under an agreement Jacobs reached with prosecutors, the criminal damage charge against him can be dismissed in a year if he fulfills terms that include staying out of trouble.
Jacobs rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. He ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024 on his way to a Pro Bowl selection in his first year with the Packers.
Green Bay (3-2) has rushed for an NFL-low 60.4 yards per game so far this season while Jacobs has been unavailable. The Packers average 3.1 yards per carry to rank next-to-last in the league, ahead of only Las Vegas.
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FILE - Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs stands on the field before a preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Aug. 28, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Multiple Southern California homes are ablaze in a fast-moving wildfire fueled by hot, windy weather.
THIS IS AN APNewsAlert. Check back for updates. AP's earlier story is below.
Several brush fires were burning in Southern California on Friday, stoked by hot, windy weather that has led to evacuations and tens of thousands of people in the state without power after their electricity was turned off.
A blaze in Malibu, a coastal town west of Los Angeles, prompted evacuation orders and warnings for a large swath of the Santa Monica Mountains. A large cloud of black smoke over the hilltops could be seen on nearby cameras and miles away.
Winds from 20 mph to 35 mph (32 kph to 56 kph) were expected Friday, with gusts forecast to reach 50 mph up to 70 mph (80 kph to 112 kph) in some areas, the National Weather Service said.
With humidity levels dropping, “this will favor a critical fire weather threat,” the service said early Friday.
More than 400 firefighters battled the Bryson Fire overnight, which was at 250 acres (100 hectares) on Friday morning. It had threatened a Los Angeles County juvenile detention and rehabilitation facility, which was evacuated Thursday night.
The most critical fire weather will be seen through Friday afternoon, when the strongest and longest-lasting winds are expected, said Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. Weather conditions that increase the fire risk were expected to last through Saturday night.
"Strong winds and very dry conditions will continue to cause fire starts to spread rapidly, so we’re urging everyone to remain vigilant," he said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who faced criticism for her city's response to deadly fires in 2025, directed the fire department to deploy personnel and equipment ahead of the winds. The fire department also requested assistance from the state’s office of emergency services.
“It’s a pretty widespread event of elevated fire weather, so the whole SoCal region should really be on alert,” said Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Dry, warm and gusty northeast winds known as Santa Anas, which blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore, were forecast, with the strongest winds expected through Friday afternoon.
The winds could reach 20 to 40 mph (32 to 64 kph), with gusts from 50 to 70 mph (80 to 113 kph), in the San Gabriel mountains in Los Angeles County and the Santa Susana mountains, which are mostly in Ventura County, Schoenfeld said. Elevated, though brief, critical fire weather conditions were also forecast for portions of the Santa Lucia mountains in San Luis Obispo County.
In Orange County, a wind-driven fire that started in the hills of the coastal city of San Clemente quickly grew to 200 acres (81 hectares), prompting evacuations in San Clemente and in neighboring San Juan Capistrano.
The fire was threatening buildings, and strong winds were pushing the flames toward San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler told KTLA-TV.
Firefighters on Friday worked to contain two other fires that had sparked Thursday afternoon and triggered evacuation orders in the city of Azusa, north of LA, and Camp Pendleton, near San Diego.
More than 175,000 customers in northern, central and southern California were without electricity as of Friday, according to poweroutage.com.
Some of California’s worst wildfires have been sparked by power equipment, and utilities in recent years have begun proactively shutting off power during dry, windy weather in an effort to prevent blazes.
A wind-driven fire in Azusa burned over 40 acres (16 hectares) on Thursday and briefly prompted evacuation orders for a neighborhood in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains. Forward progress on the blaze had been stopped by midafternoon.
Farther south, a fire at Camp Pendleton threatened buildings. Evacuation orders were issued in the Las Flores area of the military base and lifted by evening, military officials said in a statement.
In Northern California, some communities in the Sierra Nevada and its foothills began experiencing strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity Wednesday night.
The weather service issued a red flag warning for parts of central and Northern California through Friday morning, saying any fires would spread rapidly. Such warnings are issued when weather conditions create an increased risk of wildfires.
The potential interruption in electricity to customers from the Central Coast to the upper corners of the Sierra Nevada could last through Saturday afternoon, Pacific Gas and Electric Company said.
In Southern California, the Red Flag Warning for the mountainous areas in Ventura and Los Angeles counties was in effect through Friday night.
In January 2025, the Palisades Fire — fanned by Santa Ana winds — ripped through a hillside Los Angeles neighborhood, killing 12 people and destroying mansions with spectacular ocean views. Authorities determined the Palisades Fire was a carryover from another fire that authorities alleged was started intentionally by a 29-year-old man.
Another fire that burned at the same time in the city of Altadena, in Los Angeles County, killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and businesses. That fire was caused by sparks from an idle transmission tower owned by Southern California Edison, officials said.
Schoenfeld said the Santa Ana winds are not going to be as strong as during those fires, when they were gusting 60 to 100 mph (96 to 160 kph).
Ding reported from Los Angeles.
The Bryson Fire illuminates a ridge top on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Crews make a stand in front of the Bryson Fire on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Crews make a stand in front of the Bryson Fire on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A tanker drops retardant on the Peak Fire Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Azusa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Hot spots glow across a hillside during the Bryson Fire in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
