While the majority of NFL fans simply know Josh Jacobs as a workhorse running back, the current face of the Green Bay Packers’ run game has enjoyed a rags-to-riches story if there ever was one. Today, he finds himself signed to a four-year, $48-million contract. However, that deal would have likely never materialized had it not been for the sacrifices of his father.
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Jacobs’ parents separated when he was only eight years old, and shortly after, he found himself living out of a car with his siblings and father, Marty. While they would occasionally be able to afford a brief stay in a cheap hotel room, the family was destitute more often than not.
During a recent appearance on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, the star running back reflected on how his father would do anything to make sure they got by. Jacobs admitted that, since he’s now a father himself, he often ponders on if he would have been able to make those same sacrifices, to which he honestly answers, “I don’t know.”
“I’m just being real. The things he’s done, like literally, I’ve watched him not eat. I’m like, damn, he gave us the food. He gave us his food. We’re splitting three pieces of chicken between five kids and some sides.”
When it came time for Jacobs to receive his $6.7-million signing bonus in 2019, he made sure that his first purchase would be something meaningful. After an impressive rookie campaign with the then-Oakland Raiders yielded even more paydays, the Alabama product shared on social media that he had finally put an end to his father’s housing crisis.
https://twitter.com/iAM_JoshJacobs/status/1214619296174874625
Nowadays, Jacobs finds himself thankful for the various lessons that a hard youth taught him, displaying the very sense of maturity that his upbringing instilled in him.
“At a young age, I understood a lot. I felt like it made me grow up very fast. I’d seen and experienced a lot at a young age. By the time I was in fifth grade, I already knew how to cook, pay bills, get groceries, all of that, by myself. I literally used to have to go do it, I hated that sh*t.”
Thankfully, for everyone involved, a young Jacobs found solace in gridiron football. In highlighting that being at school or on the field gave him a sense of normalcy, the former Raider also admitted to being much more empathetic to people’s situations as a result of his childhood.
According to Jacobs, despite having a small number of friends as a child, the kids always wanted to hang out with him and his family, something that he believes was indicative of his father’s standup character.
“It was how my dad treated people… I know a kid right now who has both parents at home, but his dad is an alcoholic, and he can’t be at home. So, I never judge anybody because of my situation, because you never know what people are going through. I feel like a lot of these kids, they were going through things at home, that when they came with us, we might not have had the best of things, but it was always peace.”
Marty now spends his days coaching youth teams and watching his son produce age-defying numbers in the NFL, a life that is nothing short of a blessing given his past struggles. Nowadays, the only concern in their family is whether or not Jacobs will break the 1,000 rushing yard threshold in any given season, proving that there is in fact such a thing as a happy ending.
