James Pearce Jr’s former girlfriend states she believes ‘James will kill me’ without protection order

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Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr. (27) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

James Pearce Jr.’s arrest for a variety of domestic violence-related charges in February seemed to come out of nowhere. But thanks to detailed reporting from Marc Raimondi and former Falcons beat writer Mike Rothstein at ESPN, we now know it didn’t.

WNBA player Rickea Jackson, Pearce’s former girlfriend, made at least seven 911 calls about Pearce in the weeks leading up to his arrest because she was fearful for her safety due to alleged stalking, threats, harassment, and a concern that Pearce had tried to illegally enter her residence.

On Wednesday, Raimondi and Rothstein reported that Rickea Jackson had petitioned the court for, and received, a protective order against Pearce. The order is temporary until the final hearing on the matter, which is scheduled for April 21. I’m not going to go into details about her allegations against Pearce, because they are deeply upsetting — read Marc and Michael’s story for those. I will tell you that Jackson said in her petition for a protective order that she was “in fear of my life” and if the protective order was not granted, she believed Pearce would kill her.

On Thursday, Andy Slater reported that one of the felonies against Pearce, aggravated battery of a police officer, has been dropped due to insufficient evidence. The other four felonies remain.

Per the original report:

• On Nov. 24, 2025, the day after the Falcons played the Saints in New Orleans, police responded to a domestic disturbance around 11 p.m. ET. Jackson told law enforcement Pearce had come to her home, knocked on the door and called a landline several times.
• On Nov. 25, 2025, Jackson called again, stating that Pearce’s father had warned her that Pearce was planning to return to her residence. She left the home for the evening because she did not feel safe.
• Pearce was told by law enforcement on or about Jan. 13, 2026 that he was “advised not to return to the residence.”
• On Jan. 28, 2026, officers responded to a reported burglary in process, with the resident identifying Pearce as the perpetrator. Jackson told officers she was fearful of Pearce after he’d damaged the door to her home trying to gain entry.
• Police responded to another domestic disturbance call on Feb. 1, 2026, though redactions on the police report made it difficult to ascertain what actually happened here.
• On Feb. 2, police returned to the residence and were told by a security guard that Pearce had been “stalking” Jackson and had been seen near her residence on multiple occasions over the preceding days.
• Pearce was arrested and charged on Feb. 7, 2026.

Jackson detailed the incident that led to Pearce’s arrest in the petition. From Raimondi and Rothstein:

Jackson also detailed the Feb. 7 incident that led to Pearce’s arrest, saying she saw Pearce following her in his vehicle as she drove home and that she instead called 911 and drove to a Doral, Florida, police station “because I knew James was going to hurt me.” She said Pearce chased after her at high speeds and blocked her with his car at a traffic light, trying to enter her car and jumping on top of the vehicle.

She said he then re-entered his vehicle and chased her car, striking her car multiple times to get her to spin out. She said he cut her off with his vehicle and eventually spun out himself. She said Pearce ran her off the road before she reached the Doral police station. Upon reaching the station, she flagged down an officer as Pearce rammed her car with his. It is then she says the officer attempted to arrest Pearce, who fled the scene.

The Falcons have not commented on this situation beyond their initial “gathering information” response after Pearce was arrested and charged. The NFL has said that the incident will be reviewed under its personal conduct policy, which requires a mandatory minimum six-game suspension for violence against women or children. The league generally waits for the legal process to play out before making a determination on discipline.

Pearce’s attorneys maintain his innocence, while Jackson’s attorneys have said she is prepared to testify against him should this go to trial.

Pearce was initially facing five felony charges related to the incident: two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated stalking, fleeing and eluding police officers, and aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer. As mentioned above, that final charge has been dropped. He also faces nine separate traffic violations and a misdemeanor charge for resisting an officer without violence to his or her person.

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