Grand Jury Indicts Rookie NFL Player On Rape, Kidnapping Charges Dating Back To College

Guernsey County, OH – A rookie lineman for the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles was indicted on felony rape and kidnapping charges just 11 days ahead of Super Bowl LVII for an alleged attack that was reported while he was a 21-year-old college student.

The incident occurred at about 2 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2019, after now-25-year-old Joshua Sills, who was a redshirted junior playing for the West Virginia Mountaineers at the time, gave the victim and her cousin a ride home from a restaurant, WXIX reported.

The victim told detectives that when they arrived at their destination, her cousin got out of the car but Sills grabbed her by the arm to keep her from leaving, the New York Post reported.

She said her cousin “did not think anything of it and shut the door and walked into the house,” according to the police report.

Authorities said the 21-year-old victim told them she and Sills had known each other for seven or eight years and had gone to high school together, the New York Post reported.

The victim told investigators that was when Sills tried to kiss her, according to the police report.

Then he allegedly grabbed her by the neck and threw her down on the seat of the truck, the New York Post reported.

The police report said the woman told detectives that Sills unbuttoned her pants and started groping her as she told him over and over again to stop.

The victim told police authorities that was when Sills sat up, grabbed her by the back of her neck, pulled her on top of him, and told her “she was doing this and was not leaving until she did this,” the New York Post reported.

The police report said the woman claimed that was when the college football player forced her to perform oral sex on him “for approximately 20 minutes.”

She told investigators that the football player made her perform oral sex “until he did his thing” and it resulted in the victim sustaining bruising in the back of her throat, her inner lip, her right ear and on the back of her left knee.

The victim told detectives that when she went to leave Sills’ truck after the sexual assault, he told her “you will talk to me again,” according to the police report.

Authorities said photos were taken the alleged victim’s injuries shortly after the incident occurred, the New York Post reported.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the indictment on Feb. 1 and said that Sill “engaged in sexual activity that was not consensual and held a victim against her will.”

The attorney general said the crime was reported “immediately” and the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) “conducted a detailed investigation” into the allegations against the college football player, WXIX reported.

The Special Prosecutions Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office presented the case to a grand jury in January and Sill was indicted on rape and kidnapping charges, both of which are felonies.

BREAKING: NFL Philadelphia Eagles player Joshua Sills has been charged with rape and kidnapping. #10TV pic.twitter.com/1zuOfwGXLd

— Brittany Bailey (@BrittBaileyTV) February 1, 2023

Sills, a native of Sarahsville, Ohio, transferred from West Virginia University to Oklahoma State University the season after he was accused of attacking his victim and played for that team the next season.

The 325-pound offensive lineman wasn’t selected by a team in the 2022 National Football League (NFL) Draft, but he later signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles, WXIX reported.

The Eagles’ roster listed him as the team’s second-string right guard.

He played in just one game in 2022 and was on the field for just four snaps during the team’s winning season that has them headed to the Super Bowl on Feb. 12, WXIX reported.

The Eagles’ management placed Sills on the Commissioner Exempt List after the news of his indictment broke.

He is reportedly not allowed to practice with the team or play in games or even travel with the team while he remains on the Commissioner Exempt List, according to WXIX.

Eagles statement on OL Josh Sills:

"The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills. 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."

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) February 1, 2023

Sills has been issued a summons to appear in Guernsey County Common Pleas Court on Feb. 16, according to WXIX.