Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs clarified the intent behind his touchdown celebration after scoring in the team’s 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night. Jacobs stated the gesture referenced a gospel song, not a reference to his offseason arrest.
Jacobs, who was removed from the NFL’s commissioner’s exempt list last week, pleaded no contest in October to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property stemming from a May altercation with his then-girlfriend. The charges followed an altercation in which his then-girlfriend said he threw her to the ground. Jacobs was placed on the exempt list on August 30 and missed the first six games of the season.
Jacobs’ explanation of the celebration
After scoring his first touchdown of the game, Jacobs placed his hands behind his back in celebration. He attributed the gesture to a pre-planned routine with wide receiver Savion Williams, not a commentary on his legal situation.
"They didn’t even get the whole celebration," Jacobs told reporters post-game. "It was one second that they just showed me. But anyways, me and Savion came up with the celebration. If they would have seen the whole thing, basically last week we said the first celebration when I score, I was going to thank God. That’s what I did last week. The second was going to be ‘Break Every Chain.’ It’s a gospel song. That was going to be the next celebration."
Jacobs emphasized that the media had misinterpreted the gesture, stating, "The media is going to run with it. They’re going to make it something that it wasn’t."
Game performance and context
Jacobs finished the game with 39 rushing yards on 21 carries, along with six receptions for 13 yards and one receiving touchdown. Over two games this season, he has totaled 75 rushing yards on 32 attempts and 11 catches for 68 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
The Packers’ win marked Jacobs’ second appearance since returning from the exempt list. His arrest and subsequent legal proceedings have drawn public attention, though Jacobs has maintained that his touchdown celebrations were unrelated to his off-field issues.
Background on the celebration
Jacobs’ first touchdown celebration of the season, during a loss to the Detroit Lions, involved dropping to his knees and raising his arms, which he described as thanking God. The second celebration, involving the hand placement behind his back, was intended to follow the pre-agreed sequence. "Break Every Chain" is a gospel song written by Will Reagan in 2009 and popularized by Tasha Cobbs Leonard in 2013.