CAMBRIDGE, Ohio (WCMH) — An offensive guard on the Philadelphia Eagles, who are two weeks away from playing in Super Bowl LVII, has been indicted in an Ohio court on charges of rape and kidnapping.
A Guernsey County grand jury indicted Eagles guard Joshua Sills, 25, from Sarahsville, Ohio for one count of rape and one count of kidnapping stemming from a 2019 incident.
According to court records and an incident report, Sills allegedly forced a non-consensual sexual activity with a woman and held the victim against her will in December 2019. In the incident report, the victim told authorities she has known Sills for multiple years. He is listed to be summoned in Guernsey County Common Pleas court on Feb. 16.
The report also states the victim told authorities shortly after the incident while she was in the hospital.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday afternoon Sills was placed on the commissioner exempt list, making him unable to participate in practice or travel with the team for the Super Bowl. This is being reviewed under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
In a statement sent to the Associated Press, the Eagles stated “The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills. We have been in communication with the league office and are in the process of gathering more information. We have no further comment at this time.”
His attorney, Michael Connick, said the allegations are false and that Sills will be aggressively defended.
Sills is listed on the Eagles depth chart as the backup right guard in his rookie season. The 25-year-old went undrafted in 2022 out of Oklahoma State and has appeared in one game this season. Philadelphia is set to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Ariz. on Feb. 12.
He attended Meadowbrook High School in Byesville, Ohio and played guard initially at West Virginia from 2016 to 2019 before transferring to Oklahoma State in 2020-21.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
