CAMBRIDGE, Ohio – Joshua Matthew Sills plays professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles. His team is headed to Arizona to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. Although it would be the biggest game of his life, Sills will not accompany the squad due to a criminal indictment, according to reports.
Sills, a 25-year-old reserve offensive lineman with the Eagles, is accused of holding a woman against her will and sexually assaulting her in Ohio more than three years ago. He was indicted by a Guernsey County grand jury on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping, both first-degree felonies, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Guernsey County Sheriff Jeffrey D. Paden announced earlier in the week.
“Sills engaged in sexual activity that was not consensual and held a victim against her will,” a news release from the AG’s office said. “The crime was immediately reported, and the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office conducted a detailed investigation.”
Although the offense was “immediately reported” in Dec 2019 when the woman sought treatment at the Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center, there was no further explanation why it took years to bring an indictment.
Joshua Sills, a reserve offensive lineman for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, has been indicted on rape and kidnapping charges. (Screenshot Blue Gold Sports – YouTube)
The woman said Sills grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into a truck when the football player dropped her and her cousin off at her cousin’s residence, according to a police report obtained by ESPN.
She told police that after her cousin got out of the vehicle, he grabbed her ponytail, tried to kiss her, and take her pants off despite her pleas to stop.
A medical examination revealed the woman suffered bruising on the back of her throat, inner lip, right ear, and knees.
The grand jury found there was probable cause that Sills engaged in sexual conduct with the victim on Dec. 5, 2019, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by Law&Crime.
The woman went to high school with Sills, and knew him for about seven or eight years prior to the allegations.
Ian Rapoport with the NFL Network reported the Eagles placed Sills on the Commissioner Exempt List following the indictment. This means the offensive guard is prohibited from traveling with the team or participating in games or practices.
The Eagles and Chiefs will meet in Super Bowl LVII in Arizona on Feb. 12.
“The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills,” according to a statement to ESPN. “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 case against Sills will be prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions Section of the Attorney General’s Office. He was issued a summons to appear in Guernsey County Common Pleas Court at 1 p.m. on Feb. 16.
Stills played football collegiately at West Virginia and Oklahoma State and was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent last April. He only participated in one game with the Eagles during the 2022-2023 season.
