American offensive lineman of Eagles  Josh Sills indicted on rape, kidnapping charges

By Edward Era Barbacena

Eagles offensive lineman Josh Sills was indicted by a Guernsey County Common Pleas Court grand jury on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping, both first-degree felonies, according to a release posted on the Ohio attorney general's website.

Per the release, Sills engaged in sexual activity that was not consensual and held a victim against her will in December 2019.

The alleged crime was immediately reported, according to the release, and the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office conducted a detailed investigation. The case was presented to the grand jury and is being prosecuted by the special prosecutions section of the attorney general's office.

A summons was issued for Sills, 25, to appear in Guernsey County Common Pleas Court at 1 p.m. ET on Feb. 16.

"The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills," the Eagles said in a statement. "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."

The Eagles are playing against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

According to the police report obtained by ESPN, an officer was dispatched to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center Emergency Room on Dec. 5, 2019, to take a report of a sexual assault. According to the woman's account, a male dropped her and her cousin off at her cousin's place where she was staying. Her cousin got out of the vehicle and "the male grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the truck." The male grabbed her by her ponytail and tried to kiss her, the report said, and she repeatedly told him to stop, and he continued. Once her friend was inside the home, the account continues, the male then tried to take off her pants and kept "touching me down there." She also alleged the male forced her to perform oral sex.

She identified the male as Sills, whom she said she had gone to high school with and had known for seven or eight years. The officer took photos of the woman's face and neck as she stated she was grabbed several times by the neck, the report said. The deputy was also informed that hospital staff was doing a CT scan to check for strangulation injuries. A nurse informed the deputy that she discovered bruising in the back of her throat as well as her inner lip. The nurse also noted bruising to her right ear and that the woman also showed the officer bruising on the back of her left knee.

Sills, a native of Sarahsville, Ohio, was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in April. He attended West Virginia from 2016 to '19 and then transferred to Oklahoma State in 2020.

Sills appeared in one game for the Eagles this season, in October against the Arizona Cardinals.