Just a few days ago, the Atlanta Falcons’ James Pearce Jr. was announced as one of the finalists for the 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year award. But as of today, there’s a very real possibility that he has already seen his last snap of professional football. The 26th overall pick from last year’s draft class managed to incur a total of five felony charges just days after Super Bowl LX, and given the severity of each and every single one of those charges, there doesn’t appear to be much room for optimism.
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Pearce allegedly had several domestic issues with his now-former girlfriend and Los Angeles Sparks forward, Rickea Jackson, ones that ultimately became physical. After Jackson decided to separate herself from the relationship, Pearce proceeded to go on what could only be described as a rampage, racking up two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated stalking, and one count of aggravated battery involving a law enforcement officer, which came as a result of his decision to also flee from law enforcement.
It’s one of the worst potential instances of career suicide that the NFL has seen in quite some time, and according to Cam Newton, there’s not a single thing or person that could excuse Pearce’s actions. “I don’t give doggone who it is, male, female, home boy, home girl,” Newton started during the latest episode of his 4th & 1 podcast.
“If you are going to affect me by stopping my bag, or affecting my career, I don’t want that, and I don’t need those problems… Let her leave,” Cam outlined, adding, “If that’s what comes from our love, it ain’t healthy for nobody… If she brings that emotion out of you, that ain’t healthy, baby.”
In the eyes of the former regular-season MVP, there’s no need to speculate as to what may be next for Pearce, as “not only did this man mess up his beautiful car, he messed up his beautiful career.” The NFL is, unfortunately, no stranger to handling players who find themselves with domestic abuse cases, but Pearce’s charge of aggravated battery involving a law enforcement officer will drastically complicate things for both him and the Falcons.
According to Audacy Legal Insider, Amy Dash, the penalties that come with such an offense are “purposely meant to be extreme, and that’s to deter anybody from attacking a law enforcement officer in any way.”
So, unless Pearce can spend a healthy amount of his rookie earnings on legal counsel, likely, football fans won’t be seeing him anytime in the near future. Simply put, a lengthy, perhaps even season-long, suspension is the best-case scenario, as the 22-year-old is now hoping to simply avoid spending time in a federal penitentiary.
