Eagles lineman Sills acquitted of rape, kidnapping

Last updated: 2023/08/05 at 2:18 AM

BigP Published August 5, 2023

Tim McManus, ESPN Staff WriterAug 4, 2023, 04:57 PM ET
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Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Josh Sills was acquitted of rape and kidnapping charges in an Ohio courtroom Friday.

Sills, 25, was indicted by a Guernsey County Common Pleas Court grand jury in February on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping, both first-degree felonies. The jury deliberated for about three hours Friday following five days of trial before delivering the verdict.

“I have done nothing wrong, and I am glad that was proven today,” Sills said in court after the ruling.

Sills was accused of engaging in sexual activity that was not consensual and holding a victim against her will in December 2019.

After the verdict, the NFL issued a statement: “We have notified the Eagles that Sills has been removed from the commissioner’s exempt list and is eligible to join the club. His status will be included in tomorrow’s league’s personnel notice.”

The Eagles followed the league with their own statement, saying:

“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.”

The NFL had placed Sills on the exempt list after the indictment, preventing him from participating in practices or games or travel with the Eagles, though he remained on their roster.

Sills, a native of Sarahsville, Ohio, was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent April 2022. He appeared in one game last season, in October against the Arizona Cardinals.