Josh Jacobs Says Eagles, Packers Warned Not To Wear Green During Brazil Game Due To Gang Issues

The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles have been warned not to wear green when they travel to Brazil to play in Week 1 of the regular season because it may not be safe.

That's according to newly signed Packers running back Josh Jacobs who says that the league told both teams that wearing green could cause problems.

In a recent interview on former Eagles player Chris Long's Green Light podcast, Jacobs explained the jersey dilemma. "You know, they said that the part of Brazil we're going to, you can't even wear green at… "They said, I guess, something to do with the gangs and stuff."   

"[The NFL] said, we're not going to Rio. They was like, 'Man, it's one of them places where they probably won't even let us leave the hotels," Jacobs continued. "They was like, 'Man, look, just pack black and white colors. When you come out here, we don't want no mishaps.'"

The NFL has not confirmed the jersey reports. 

EAGLES AND PACKERS WARNED NOT TO WEAR GREEN - BUT WHY?

"They probably gonna have, like, armored vehicles following us," Jacobs said. "I said, bro, Why are we out here? Why are we here? I was looking forward to it. I'm like, man, this 'bout to be a fun week. Telling us all of that, they like, 'Yeah, nah, it's not gonna be like that.'"

It's unclear if Jacobs has new information, or if he is just confused about a report from last month that both teams were asked not to wear green because it's the primary color of the Brazilian Corinthians rival, the Palmeiras. The Packers and Eagles play at the Corinthians home stadium on September 6th. It's also unknown if Jacobs is referring to players being told not to wear green AT ALL - such as doing public events or going to night clubs, or if it just meant team jersey colors.

IS GREEN A BRAZILIAN GANG COLOR?

There's no question that Brazil is going through an increasing political divide. Former President Jair Bolsonaro's campaign colors were green and yellow, while his opponent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Worker's Party, was red. After Bolsonaro's 2022 electoral defeat to da Silva, the country fell into riots, protests and still has a contentious vibe.

According to the tourism safety website "GoAskLocal.com," Sao Paulo, Brazil is "not a place where you just wing it and walk around… A visit here needs to be well-planned." Last year the city had over half a million stolen vehicle reports. 

The U.S. State Department has summarized Brazil as a country where "Violent crime, such as murder, armed robbery and carjacking is common in urban areas - both day and night. Gang activity and organized crime is widespread." 

Regardless, the Packers will have no trouble with the alleged green-jersey ban as they can wear their white jerseys as the road team. The Eagles however are not allowed to wear their alternate black helmets until 2025, meaning that they could go black alternate third jersey, but they would still have their midnight green helmet.