PHILADELPHIA − Eagles reserve offensive lineman Josh Sills won’t be allowed to practice or play in the Super Bowl after the NFL placed him on the commissioners’ exempt list Wednesday following an indictment in connection with a 2019 rape in Ohio.
The Eagles said Wednesday that they are aware of the charges against Sills.
“The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills,” the Eagles said in a statement. “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.”
The NFL’s exempt list means that Sills can’t participate in practices or games, and that includes traveling with the team to the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. The NFL will continue to review the case under the league’s personal conduct policy.
The Eagles are leaving Sunday for Arizona. They’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the indictment in a press release on Wednesday morning.
Sillswas issued a summons to appear in court in Ohio on Feb. 16, four days after the game.
Undrafted free agent made team
Sills, a guard, was one of three undrafted free agents to make the team along with cornerback Josh Jobe and wide receiver/punt returner Britain Covey. Sills got into one game during the regular season.
Sills, whose hometown is listed as Byesville, Ohio, began his collegiate career at West Virginia before finishing up with two seasons at Oklahoma State.
Sills, 25, was indicted by a Guernsey County Common Pleas Court grand jury on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping, both first-degree felonies. The indictment stems from an incident that occurred in December 2019 in which a woman reported she was forced to engage in non-consensual sexual activity with Sills.
Sills is originally from Sarahsville in Guernsey County.
Yost said the incident was immediately reported to the Guernsey County Sheriff’s office and a “detailed investigation” was conducted.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
