The NFL wants to see the video of the altercation that resulted in Packers running back Josh Jacobs pleading no-contest to battery charges. Jacobs wants no one to see the video. Ever.
Via Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Jacobs has filed a civil lawsuit requesting a court order permanently blocking access to records from the May 23 incident.
In the civil filing, Jacobs (per Demovsky) argues that the woman involved in the altercation wants “to protect her privacy, dignity, personal security, emotional well-being, and ability to participate safely in the criminal justice process.” Jacobs also contends that “redaction limited to names or faces would not adequately protect” the woman’s identity, and that advanced artificial intelligence could be utilized to identify her based on “her body shape and other indicia of her identity.”
He further claims that release of the video “would reveal private details” of his home, including “configuration, entrances, exits, doors, windows, storage areas, security arrangements, or other details that could be used to evaluate how the garage or residence might be entered.”
That’s fine and reasonable, but it also has the practical effect of keeping the NFL from seeing the video in connection with its effort to impose discipline on him. Which means that the NFL’s response should be clear and direct — you don’t play until we see the video.
It’s one thing for the public to see it. It’s quite another for the league to have access to it in order to properly implement its Personal Conduct Policy.