Eagles say Josh Sills will return to active roster after OL found not guilty of rape and kidnapping
Content warning: This story contains depictions of sexual assault allegations.
Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Josh Sills was found not guilty on rape and kidnapping charges in Ohio on Friday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sills had been accused of forcibly restraining a former high school acquaintance in his truck and forcing her to perform oral sex while dropping her off at her cousin's house in December 2019. The woman reportedly filed a police report immediately after the alleged incident and was found by a nurse to have bruising on her inner lip, right ear, back of her throat and knee. It took more than three years for a grand jury to deliver an indictment.
The jury reportedly delivered its verdict after four days of testimony and three hours of deliberations. Sills was later announced to address the jury, via the Inquirer:
“I’d like to thank you for everything you’ve done,” Sills said. “I’d like to thank my family for supporting me from Day 1. I’ve done nothing wrong, and am glad that was proven today.”
The NFL had placed Sills on the commissioner's exempt list, essentially paid leave, after he was indicted in February, less than two weeks before the Eagles were to play in the Super Bowl. Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the league will officially remove him from the list in Saturday's personnel notice, making him eligible to play again.
The Eagles later confirmed Sills will rejoin their active roster:
“We are aware that the legal matter involving Josh Sills has been adjudicated and he was found not guilty. The organization has monitored the situation.The NFL has removed him from the Commissioner’s Exempt List and he will return to the team’s active roster.”
Sills joined the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State after the 2022 NFL Draft, more than two years after the alleged incident. He made the team's 53-man roster out of training camp, but saw zero snaps during the 2022 season.
Per the Inquirer, Sills' attorneys reportedly questioned the timing of his indictment as "retaliatory" and accused prosecutors of targeting Sills due to his athletic success. The lead investigator in the case reportedly testified the timeline to charge Sills was extended due to factors including COVID-related jury restrictions, a change in prosecutors and the state attorney general office taking over the case due to a local law enforcement official being related to Sills' accuser.
Prosecution and defense also reportedly clashed over the nature of the woman's bruises and inconsistencies in witness recollection.
Sills reportedly did not testify during the week-long trial, while the woman's friends testified she immediately told them about the alleged assault. The woman herself had known Sills for eight years after attending the same high school in the small village of Sarahsville, Ohio.
