Philadelphia Eagles lineman Josh Sills acquitted of rape and kidnapping charges
Josh Sills was indicted on felony charges after being accused of raping a woman and holding her against her will in December 2019
A jury has acquitted Philadelphia Eagles lineman Josh Sills of raping and kidnapping a former high school classmate in 2019.
The verdict came down on Friday after jurors deliberated for nearly three hours. Mr Sills, 25, showed no emotion as the verdict was read.
He then thanked the jury and told the court: “I have done nothing wrong.”
Mr Sills’ defence attorney called the victim the “girl who cries wolf,” while the prosecutor used closing arguments to focus on “common sense.”
The lineman had been indicted on first-degree felony rape and kidnapping charges on 1 February 2023 by a Guernsey County Common Pleas Court grand jury that accused him of raping a woman and holding her against her will in the eastern Ohio county on 5 December 2019.
He allegedly forced a woman to perform oral sex on him for “approximately 20 minutes”, according to a police report obtained by TMZ earlier this year. He was also accused of removing the woman’s pants and groping her, according to police.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued a statement following the verdict on Friday.
“I still believe the victim. But in America, criminal convictions require proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” Yost said. “The jury did not see it, and I thank them for doing their duty under the law.”
Brooke Bing testified in court that the victim had confided in her about the alleged rape.
“She said that Josh raped her,” she said. “Josh Sills.”
“She said that he forced her head down onto his penis,” Ms Bing wept on the witness stand. “She said when I pulled up into the driveway, he held her down on him, on his penis, and she couldn’t breathe. She tried hard to fight back. And she said he tried to unzip her pants and physically sexually assault her, the other way vaginally, but she got away. She said she had some strength come over her and she got out of the truck.”
The indictment came down earlier this year just two weeks before the Eagles headed to Glendale, Arizona, to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
Mr Sills is an offensive lineman in his first season in the NFL and joined the Eagles as an undrafted free agent last year. His future with the team is unclear.