Philadelphia Eagles' Josh Sills Says He Is 'Grateful' After Being Acquitted of Rape and Kidnapping Charges
Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Josh Sills told reporters that he's "grateful" to be back practicing with the team after being acquitted on charges of rape and kidnapping.
Sills was acquitted on Friday, with an Ohio jury finding the 25-year-old not guilty of two first-degree felonies.
Per NBC Philadelphia, Sills delivered a prepared statement after practice on Tuesday, saying he was "glad" that he and his family have been "able to move on from this" and "look forward to the future" as he prepares for the upcoming football season.
"I'd like to say that I'm very appreciative of my teammates, my coaches, this organization," Sills said. "The process that I went through has not been easy. It's been very daunting for myself. So, I guess in short, I'm very appreciative of the process that had taken place to clear my name."
Denying that the allegations against him "changed" him, Sills added: "Like I just said, I am who I am, and that's who I'll always be. That's how I was raised. That's how my parents raised me to be. What you see is what you get, and you are who you are."
Sills said that he took his return to the field "day-by-day," wanting to focus more on his case. "I had to focus on clearing my name and going through the process that I went through. And I'm glad that throughout that process, I was able to clear my name," he said. "And like I said, I'm just thankful I'm back here."
Sills' acquittal was delivered roughly six months after his indictment on felony charges. The Guernsey County Common Pleas Court indicted the NFL player on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping for an incident that allegedly occurred on or around Dec. 5, 2019.
"I have done nothing wrong," Sills said in court after the verdict, per CBS Sports, "and I'm glad that was proven today."
According to Law & Crime, Sills had been accused of forcibly restraining and sexually assaulting the alleged victim on Dec. 5, 2019, in his hometown Guernsey County, Ohio. The athlete faced 11 to 16 years in prison on each of the two felony charges if convicted. The jury delivered the verdict after about three hours of deliberations following four days of testimony.
Sills was placed on the Commissioner Exempt List by the NFL, which removes a player from the active roster, a day after his indictment and less than two weeks before the Eagles played the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
The Eagles confirmed that he would be returning to the active roster in a statement on Aug. 4.
"We are aware that the legal matter involving Josh Sills has been adjudicated and he was found not guilty," the statement read. "The organization has monitored the situation. The NFL has removed him from the Commissioner's Exempt List and he will return to the team's active roster."
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 4, 2023
"(Josh will now) be able to build his football career and grow as a person and be successful in all of the things that he chooses to do," Sills' co-counsel, Steve Dever, said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's unfortunate he was accused of this. It cost him a Super Bowl appearance. ... He will move on and live his life in a very honorable fashion."
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost also released a statement saying, "I still believe the victim. But in America, criminal convictions require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury did not see it, and I thank them for doing their duty under the law."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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