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Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault
On Feb. 1, an Ohio grand jury indicted Josh Sills, an offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles, on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping, both of which are first-degree felonies. The incident in question occurred December 2019, when Sills, now 25, forced a woman, whose age is unknown, to engage in non-consensual sexual activities while holding her against her will. Authorities asserted, “The crime was immediately reported, and the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office conduct.ed a detailed investigation.” The indictment came less than two weeks before the Super Bowl LVII, where the Eagles played against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
Sills recently joined the team for the 2022-2023 season and played in one regular season game. For college football, Sills previously played at West Virginia University before transferring to Oklahoma State to play for an additional fifth year. The National Football League (NFL) placed Sills on the commissioner’s exempt list on the same day as the indictment, stating that “the matter will be reviewed under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.” As a result, Sills will face restrictions for practicing with, playing for, or traveling with the team for the time being. The Eagles proclaimed, “The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills. We have been in communication with the league office and are in the process of gathering more information. We have no further comment at this time.”
According to the police report taken in Cambridge, Ohio, where the attack occurred, the woman stated that Sills dropped her and her cousin off at her cousin’s residence. After the cousin exited the vehicle, Sills pulled the victim back into the car by her arm. The woman alleges that Sills grabbed her by her ponytail and repeatedly tried to kiss her, despite her ordering him to stop. Once her cousin entered the home, the woman reported that Sills attempted to remove her pants and kept “touching [her] down there.” He also reportedly forced her to perform oral sex on him. According to the victim’s claims, she attended high school with Sills and knew him for seven or eight years prior to the alleged assault.
The woman declared that Sills grabbed her several times by the neck, and a nurse informed the police that she discovered bruising in the back of the woman’s throat and on the inside of her lip through a CT scan. Bruises also appeared on the victim’s right ear and the back of her left knee. The court issued a summons for Sills to appear at Guernsey County Common Pleas Court on Feb. 16, where they will further review the case.
(Sources: CBS, ESPN, NY Times)
Categories: National Sports, Sports