NFL Player Speaks out After Being Acquitted of Rape and Kidnapping

Philadelphia Eagles player Josh Sills was accused days before the Super Bowl.

By Brian Jones

An NFL offensive lineman told reporters he is "grateful" to be back with the team after being acquitted on charges of rape and kidnapping. Josh Sills of the Philadelphia Eagles was acquitted last week, with a jury finding him not guilty of two first-degree felonies. Per NBC Sports Philadelphia, Sills delivered a prepared statement after practice on Tuesday. 

"The process that I went through has not been easy," Sills said. "It has been very daunting for myself, but more importantly, for my family. I'm glad that throughout the process I was able to clear my name. I'm glad that my family is able to move on from this, that I am able to move on from this and I'm able to look forward to the future."  

"It was a process," Sills added. "But I'm glad that I was able to clear my name in that process, get through that process. I had a lot of great support behind me. But I'm looking forward to putting that in the past and looking forward to tomorrow and moving on."  

Sills had been accused of forcibly restraining and sexually assaulting the alleged victim on Dec. 5, 2019, in Guernsey County, Ohio, per Law & Crime. He faced 11 to 16 years in prison on each of the two charges if convicted. Sills was placed on the Commissioner Exempt List bu the NFL less than two weeks before the Eagles played in Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

"We followed all the protocols there as far as just wanted to let the legal process play itself out," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said before Sunday's practice. "I think just at the end of the day, we let the legal process and the league's decision to take him off the exempt list make our decision, right? My experience with Josh has been nothing but positive. He's been a great teammate and done his job and guys love him on this team. So my experience with him has been great. We're happy to have him back."

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Sills, 25, joined the Eagles last year as an undrafted free agent. He played in only one game as a rookie, appearing on several special teams plays during the game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. Sills played college football at West Virginia and Oklahoma State and was a First-Team All-Big 12 Selection in 2020 and 2021. 

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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