Yesterday the NFL placed Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs on the commissioner exempt list following domestic abuse charges stemming from a May arrest in Wisconsin. He won't practice or play — but he'll still get paid.
A lot of people are asking what the commissioner exempt list actually is. I lived through the moment it was brought back into regular use — 2014, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, all within weeks of each other. The NFL needed a way to get players off the field fast while investigations played out. This was the tool they used then. It's being used again now.
Today I'm explaining exactly how it works, why the NFL reaches for it, and what it means for the Packers heading into Week 1.
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