A Philadelphia Eagles player is indicted on rape and kidnapping charges

Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Josh Sills was indicted on rape and kidnapping charges in Ohio on Tuesday — two weeks before the football team prepares to play in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sills, who is in his rookie season with the NFL, was indicted by a Guernsey County Common Pleas Court grand jury on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping, the Ohio Attorney General's Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

Both first-degree felony charges stem from an alleged incident in December 2019, when the 6-foot, 6-inch guard was still in college, playing for the West Virginia Mountaineers. According to the indictment, Sills is accused of engaging in nonconsensual sexual activity with a woman and holding her against her will.

"The crime was immediately reported, and the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office conducted a detailed investigation," the statement says.

Sills, now 25, is expected in court on Feb. 16 — less than a week after the Super Bowl. The case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions Section of the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

Bob Lange, senior vice president of communications for the Eagles, told NPR that the team is aware of the charges. "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," Lange said in an emailed statement.

Sills was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State University this past spring. He played in just one game this season.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.