On Saturday, Atlanta Falcons starter James Pearce Jr. was arrested in Miami-Dade County on two felony counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and a felony count of aggravated stalking. He was released on a $20,500 bond on Sunday. The charges involve a domestic dispute with WNBA player Rickea Jackson.
Peace Jr. also faces charges for fleeing and eluding police officers and aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, both felonies, and a misdemeanor count of resisting an officer without violence to his person.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported that the player crashed a vehicle into another vehicle being driven by Rickea Jackson several times. He also took a police officer with the same vehicle while evading arrest.
Pearce and Jackson reportedly started dating each other in 2025, around the time of the NFL Draft. The Atlanta Falcons player was given a pretrial conditional stay-away order to stay away from Jackson.
Atlanta Falcons’ Statement On James Pearce’s Situation
The Atlanta Falcons, understandably caught off guard by the situation, released the following statement regarding James Pearce:
“We are aware of an incident involving James Pearce Jr., in Miami. We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time.”
James Pearce was taken 26th overall in last year’s NFL Draft. Initially, he was considered an even more highly rated prospect, but concerns about his character and commitment to the sport made him fall through the first round.
At the time, then-general manager Terry Fontenot said the following about the process to vet him:
“about as thorough and detailed as you can possibly be… (Taking to) everybody that’s surrounded with him.”
His rookie year in the NFL was a success, from an athletic standpoint, with him making the PFWA All-Rookie Team and being third in the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He played college football at Tennessee, where he earned two First Team All-SEC selections in 2023 and 2024.
With 10.5 sacks last season, he ranked first among all rookies in his class in that category. Now his athletic future is understandably uncertain.
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