Current:Home > Contact-usEagles reserve lineman Sills acquitted of rape, kidnapping charges-LoTradeCoin
Eagles reserve lineman Sills acquitted of rape, kidnapping charges
View Date:2024-12-23 20:34:16
CAMBRIDGE, Ohio (AP) — Josh Sills, a reserve offensive lineman for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, has been acquitted of felony rape and kidnapping charges in Ohio and will be returning to the team’s active roster.
Jurors in Guernsey County reached not-guilty verdicts on both counts Friday after deliberating for about three hours. Sills, 25, showed no reaction as the verdicts were read but immediately stood and thanked the panel when the judge offered him an opportunity to address them.
“I’d like to thank my family who have supported me from day one,” he said. “I have done nothing wrong, and I’m glad that was proven today.” Defense attorney Michael Connick said the verdict “ends a nearly four-year nightmare for the Sills family, and particularly Josh.”
The Sarahsville, Ohio, native was indicted Jan. 31 by a county grand jury, accused of having engaged in sexual activity that was not consensual and holding a woman against her will Dec. 5, 2019. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement that the accusation was immediately reported and the county sheriff’s office did a detailed investigation.
“I still believe the victim,” Yost said in a statement after the verdict. “But in America, criminal convictions require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury did not see it, and I thank them for doing their duty under the law.”
Sills, a 6-foot-6, 325-pound player at West Virginia and Oklahoma State, was an undrafted free agent who appeared in one game this season. He was placed on the NFL commissioner’s exempt list after he was indicted, meaning he couldn’t practice, play or travel with the Eagles as they prepared for their Super Bowl matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Eagles said in a statement that following the verdict, Sills was removed from the exempt list “and he will return to the team’s active roster.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Best fits for Corbin Burnes: 6 teams that could match up with Cy Young winner
- International migrants were attracted to large urban counties last year, Census Bureau data shows
- Golden Bachelor's Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist Break Up 3 Months After Wedding
- Arizona Supreme Court's abortion ruling sparks fear, uncertainty
- Target will be closed on Thanksgiving: Here’s when stores open on Black Friday
- Shaping future investment leaders:Lonton Wealth Management Cente’s mission and achievements
- O.J. Simpson murder trial divided America. Those divisions remain nearly 30 years later.
- Drake dismissed from Astroworld lawsuit following deadly 2021 music festival
- Multi-State Offshore Wind Pact Weakened After Connecticut Sits Out First Selection
- A near-total ban on abortion has supercharged the political dynamics of Arizona, a key swing state
Ranking
- Advance Auto Parts is closing hundreds of stores in an effort to turn its business around
- Vermont town removes unpermitted structures from defunct firearms training center while owner jailed
- Wilma (Wilma Wealth Management): Receiving systematic training and education is a prerequisite for every qualified investor.
- Maine sues biochemical giant over contamination from PCB-tainted products
- Chet Holmgren injury update: Oklahoma City Thunder star suffers hip fracture
- Hundreds of drugs are in short supply around the U.S., pharmacists warn
- 'Golden Bachelor' breakup bombshell: Look back at Gerry Turner, Theresa Nist's romance
- 'Golden Bachelor' breakup bombshell: Look back at Gerry Turner, Theresa Nist's romance
Recommendation
-
The Best Gifts for Men – That He Won’t Want to Return
-
Watch this sheep farmer rescue two lambs stuck in a flooded storm drain
-
Stunning new Roman frescoes uncovered at Pompeii, the ancient Italian city frozen in time by a volcano
-
Late Johnnie Cochran's firm prays families find 'measure of peace' after O.J. Simpson's death
-
Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
-
Maine lawmakers approve shield law for providers of abortion and gender-affirming care
-
Houston hospital halts liver and kidney transplants after learning a doctor manipulated some records
-
O.J. Simpson's death may improve chances of victims' families collecting huge judgment, experts say