Philadelphia Eagles offensive guard Josh Sills will go to Ohio this month to face felony charges of rape and kidnapping, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s office. A Guernsey County grand jury indicted Sills on the charges, which stem from an incident that occurred in December 2019.
Sills is due to appear in court February 16. Meanwhile, he is prohibited from playing football and will not join his team at the Super Bowl this weekend. This is NFL policy: The league has placed him on its Commissioner Exempt List and is officially prohibiting him from practices and games as long as he is on this list.
According to the county sheriff’s department, Sills was driving the victim and her cousin to the friend’s home from a cafe on Dec. 5, 2019. The victim said she had known Sills for seven or eight years and had gone to school with him.
When they reached their destination, the cousin got out of his truck and went into the house. Sills reportedly grabbed the victim, pulled her into the back of the truck while groping her, and then forced her to perform oral sex on him. The cousin was inside the house while the alleged assault occurred.
The victim received emergency-room care at the Southeastern Ohio Region Medical Center that night and filed a police report. An officer was dispatched to interview her and took photos of bruises on her face and neck as evidence.
Sills has not been arrested, but he will be required to appear in court on the 16th following the indictment, which was filed on January 31. The trial will take place in Cambridge, Ohio.
His absence will not be a major setback for the Eagles. Sills has played only one game since joining the team last year, a week 5 win against the Arizona Cardinals.
