Falcons' James Pearce Jr. suspended eight games by NFL
The NFL suspended Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. for eight games for violating the league's personal conduct policy, the league announced Friday afternoon, stemming from his arrest on domestic violence charges this past February.
Pearce will be eligible to participate in all preseason activities, including games. His suspension will begin Aug. 30, and he will be eligible to be reinstated Nov. 2.
Pearce, 22, allegedly used a vehicle to repeatedly ram into a car driven by his ex-girlfriend and WNBA player Rickea Jackson in an effort to stop her from reaching a police station during a domestic dispute on Feb. 7 in Doral, Florida. Police responded to Jackson's call and Pearce fled in his vehicle before crashing it and fleeing on foot. He was also accused of resisting arrest.
Pearce faced felony charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing police and resisting arrest, along with a misdemeanor stalking charge. In May, he entered a pretrial intervention program under which the charges will be dropped if he stays out of legal trouble for one year, passes random drug tests and stays away from Jackson.
Pearce was not with the Falcons for most of the spring but took part in mandatory minicamp and has been with the team throughout training camp this summer, mostly working with the reserves. He was the No. 26 overall pick in 2025 and had 10.5 sacks last season, a Falcons rookie record, finishing third in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting despite being the team's top pass rusher.