ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons standout rookie James Pearce Jr. posted a $20,500 bond Sunday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center following his arrest in south Florida on Saturday.
He faces additional charges of aggravated stalking and fleeing or eluding police after allegedly crashing his car while attempting to evade officers. The legal incident occurs as the Falcons transition to new leadership under coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunningham.
Doral police were summoned Saturday to investigate a domestic dispute between a man and a woman. Edwin Lopez, Doral police chief, confirmed the dispute involved Pearce and Jackson, a forward for the Los Angeles Sparks.
Pearce was issued a pre-trial stay-away order from Rickea Jackson. According to police reports, Pearce fled from officers and crashed his vehicle.
The Falcons made a significant investment to acquire Pearce last year, trading their 2026 first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams to select him at No. 26 overall.
Pearce had previously played for the University of Tennessee.
In his first season, Pearce recorded a team-leading 10 1/2 sacks, setting a new rookie record for the Falcons. His performance contributed to a total of 57 sacks for the team, an improvement from the 31 sacks recorded the previous season. Despite the defensive growth, Atlanta finished the season with an eight-nine record.
Before the arrest, Stefanski spoke about his plans for the defense with coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. “Very, very talented young men, excited to coach both of them,” Stefanski said regarding Pearce and Walker. “Obviously, I’ve talked to (Ulbrich) about those guys in particular and how we can deploy them.”
The Falcons organization addressed the situation in a statement released Saturday night. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time,” the Falcons said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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