Atlanta Falcons rookie James Pearce Jr was arrested over a domestic dispute with his girlfriend Saturday – one year after NFL scouts expressed fears about his ‘character’.
Pearce, who was selected by the Falcons in the first round of the 2025 draft, is behind bars in Florida after fleeing the altercation with WNBA-star partner Rickea Jackson and crashing his car while being chased down by police.
The 22-year-old was arrested on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (two counts), aggravated stalking and fleeing/eluding police in Doral County.
Concerning footage later emerged on social media of six police officers pinning him to the ground while trying to detain him after the crash.
Pearce’s arrest comes just three days after he finished third in the voting for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year at the end of an impressive debut season with the Falcons, who will be stunned by the news.
However, reports which have resurfaced from early 2025 suggest there were already serious concerns about the Tennessee linebacker’s character before the draft.
Falcons rookie James Pearce Jr was arrested Saturday, one year after NFL scouts expressed fears over his character
Pearce was arrested after a domestic dispute involving WNBA-star girlfriend Rickea Jackson
The 6ft 5in Atlanta linebacker is pictured in his mugshot on Saturday
Cleveland Browns reporter Cory Kinnan claimed in March of last year that Pearce had the ‘worst character report’ of any player in the 2025 class, which provided NFL scouts with a dilemma given his clear talent.
Anonymous sources also questioned his maturity and attitude, with one unnamed defensive line coach even claiming it frightened him.
‘That kid is a first-round talent,’ they told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. ‘But the stuff you hear (about his maturity) scares me.’
Pearce’s arrest this week is not his first, either. Back in December 2023, the future NFL player was arrested at a traffic stop in Knoxville after disobeying orders from police.
Cops said that Pearce was driving 63mph in a 35mph zone in a vehicle with an expired tag, while he was also accused of driving with a suspended license.
After being told to get out the car several times, he was arrested and charged with speeding, driving on a suspended license, failure to present insurance, registration not properly displayed and improper window tinting.
Pearce’s arrest this week is not his first, either. Back in December 2023, the future NFL player was arrested at a traffic stop in Knoxville after disobeying orders from police.
Cops said that Pearce was driving 63mph in a 35mph zone in a vehicle with an expired tag, while he was also accused of driving with a suspended license.
After being told to get out the car several times, he was arrested and charged with speeding, driving on a suspended license, failure to present insurance, registration not properly displayed and improper window tinting.
Pearce (27) reportedly had the ‘worst character report’ of any player in the 2025 draft class
The Falcons still took a punt on the linebacker by drafting him with the 26th overall pick
Despite question marks over his character, the Falcons took a punt on the 6ft 5in, 243-pound Pearce by trading up to take him with the 26nd overall pick – and giving away a 2026 first-round selection – after recognizing his quality on the field.
Upon arrival in Atlanta his unique intensity and aggression was there for all to see when he got into an altercation with teammate Kaleb McGary in practice, which led to a skirmish involving the offense and defense.
‘Tensions are high, it’s camp,’ McGary said. ‘Also, don’t grab my face mask and start pulling on it for no reason. Just takes time. None of us show up knowing everything.’
‘A lot of young guys, after a moment of real anger or frustration and getting out of whack, they’re lost for practice, and he was the opposite,’ defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. ‘It was like he reset, he came back, took a deep breath, and I think he made three or four really amazing plays after the fact. So, it’s promising.’
Pearce went on to enjoy a strong rookie year, recording 17 solo tackles and 10.5 sacks, but his career is now in doubt after the shocking arrest on Saturday night.
Local 10 News first reported the news of the arrest, which occurred after a dispute between Pearce and girlfriend Jackson, who is currently playing for the Breeze in Unrivaled, based in Miami.
Now the 22-year-old’s NFL career is potentially in ruins already after his arrest on Saturday
Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez confirmed the identity of both parties involved, with Pearce fleeing and later crashing at Northwest 103rd Avenue and 66th Street, before being cuffed and taken to jail.
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 seen by the Daily Mail show that Pearce was booked at 6:58pm EST on Saturday night. As of Saturday night, he was behind bars at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, with his bond yet to be set.
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.’
