The Packers running back says his hands-behind-back moment honored a gospel song, not his recent legal trouble.
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is explaining a touchdown celebration that got people talking. He says the brief hands-behind-the-back pose was a nod to a gospel song, not a joke about his recent arrest.
The moment came Thursday night after Jacobs found the end zone. It was only his second game of the season since he came off the commissioner's exempt list, so the gesture drew immediate attention and questions about what he meant by it.
The context is serious. Jacobs was placed on the exempt list after charges were filed in August over a May altercation with his then-girlfriend, who said he threw her to the ground. Last month he pleaded no contest to battery charges.
Jacobs insists the celebration had nothing to do with any of that and was a tribute to the music. Whether fans and critics accept that explanation or not, the scrutiny will likely follow him as he works to rebuild his season in Green Bay.
