Rookie NFL star arrested for battery and stalking of WNBA star girlfriend learns his fate after appearing in front of a judge hours before the Super Bowl
Atlanta Falcons rookie James Pearce Jr has been granted bond after appearing before a judge in the wake of his shocking arrest on Saturday.
Pearce, 22, is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (two counts), aggravated stalking and fleeing/eluding police after getting into a domestic dispute with WNBA-star girlfriend Rickea Jackson in Miami and crashing his car on a resulting police chase.
Concerning footage later emerged on social media of six police officers pinning him to the ground while trying to detain him after the collision.
Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez confirmed the identity of both parties involved, with Pearce crashing at Northwest 103rd Avenue and 66th Street before being cuffed and taken to jail.
And according to NBC Miami, the Falcons linebacker’s bond was set at $20,500 by a judge on Sunday.
During his court appearance, Pearce’s attorney argued that his client should be given bond in Miami because he is an NFL player who lives in Georgia, a notion which was dismissed by the judge.
Atlanta Falcons rookie James Pearce Jr has been granted bond after his arrest on Saturday
Pearce was arrested after a domestic dispute with WNBA-star girlfriend Rickea Jackson (right)
‘It doesn’t matter what his employment is,’ the judge is quoted as saying. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think you understand. I have no care about what his employment is, OK. I have an individual charged with a crime.’
As well as granting a $20,500 bond, the judge also ordered Pearce to stay away from Jackson. His attorneys insisted he will do exactly that.
Local 10 News first reported the news and cited a dispute between Pearce and girlfriend Jackson, who is currently playing for the Breeze in Unrivaled, based in Miami.
It is understood that officers first arrived at the scene after a report of a male and female involved in a dispute, at which point he fled the scene.
Footage shows Pearce later being pinned down and then cuffed against the back of a police car, before being guided into the back seat to be taken to jail.
Police records showed that he was booked at 6:58pm EST on Saturday night and kept behind bars at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center before his court appearance on Sunday.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Atlanta Falcons said: ‘We are aware of an incident involving James Pearce Jr., in Miami. 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 22-year-old finished third in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting earlier this week
The NFL player’s arrest comes just three days after he finished third in the voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year at the end of an impressive debut season with the Falcons.
Pearce was a first-round pick in the 2025 draft, being selected No 26 overall out of Tennessee, and he went on to enjoy a brilliant first year as a pro after Atlanta traded up to get him.
He recorded 17 solo tackles and 10.5 sacks in his rookie year, but his career is now in doubt after the arrest.
It is unclear how long Pearce Jr and basketball star Jackson have been dating, but they attended the University of Tennessee together and were publicly spotted together at the NFL Draft.
