Recently, the Atlanta Falcons found themselves at the center of attention for all the wrong reasons when rookie pass rusher James Pearce Jr. was arrested in Miami on a slew of charges, most centering around domestic violence against WNBA star Rickea Jackson. Pearce has since been released on bail, but needless to say, his future with both the Falcons and the NFL as a whole could be in serious jeopardy.
Now, newly minted Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham has delivered a brief remark on the Pearce situation.
“It’s unfortunate, but I’m just not going to comment on an ongoing legal matter right now,” said Cunningham, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic on X, formerly Twitter.
Cunningham was recently named the Falcons general manager, having occupied the assistant general manager spot with the Chicago Bears up until this offseason.
There is still much to sort out on the Pearce situation, but the pass rusher could be looking at serious prison time if convicted on all charges. Jackson has already indicated that she will be willing to testify against Pearce at a potential trial.
Pearce had a breakout rookie season for the Falcons, with the team having parted ways with their 2026 first round pick in order to draft him out of Tennessee. The pass rusher broke numerous rookie records for the organization and helped Atlanta generate a real pass rush for the first time in well over a decade.
However, now, that beacon of hope is in serious danger of being short-lived, depending on how the legal situation plays out. Even if Pearce is able to sort through that challenge without prison time, he would still almost assuredly be looking at a lengthy suspension from the NFL, regardless of if he is convicted in court.
In any case, clearly, there is still a lot left to sort out on this front.
