Eagles backup OL charged with rape and kidnapping

[Fresh_Prince]

Ouch The Eagles almost never have situations like this (unlike certain other teams), and as a fan had some pride in that fact.

[Procus]

NFL handled this properly by promptly putting him on the exempt list.  No need for this sort of distraction in the lead up to the Super Bowl.

[Mike030270]

I guess they didn't know about this when they signed him?

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

I guess they didn't know about this when they signed him?

The police investigated the incident when it happened in 2019.  So if they did not know, shame on them, and if they did know, also shame on them.

[vaff]

6 minutes ago, Procus said:

NFL handled this properly by promptly putting him on the exempt list.  No need for this sort of distraction in the lead up to the Super Bowl.

How is he not cut yet? This bottom of the roster player is a black eye for the organization at a time when they’re on the national stage.

[opa-opa]

Just cut him and get rid of the distraction, we dont want to end up like the 9ers.

[Walkdawalk]

Welp...the NFL script has just been changed to screw us over in the Superbowl 

[JamesK]

I hate to put it this way, but this guy is perhaps the most expendable, easiest to replace player on the team. 

[BayAreaLennie]

Here is what the ESPN article says is alleged to have occurred:

According to the police report obtained by ESPN, an officer was dispatched to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center emergency room in Cambridge, Ohio, on Dec. 5, 2019, to take a report of a sexual assault. According to the woman's account, a man dropped her and her cousin off at her cousin's place, where she was staying. After her cousin got out of the vehicle, "the male grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the truck." The male grabbed her by her ponytail and tried to kiss her, the report said, and she repeatedly told him to stop, but he continued. Once her friend was inside the home, the account continues, the man then tried to take off her pants and kept "touching me down there." She also alleged the man forced her to have oral sex with him.

She identified the man as Sills, whom she said she had gone to high school with and had known for seven or eight years. The officer took photos of the woman's face and neck, as she stated she had been grabbed several times by the neck, the report said. The deputy was also informed that hospital staff were doing a CT scan to check for strangulation injuries. A nurse informed the deputy that she discovered bruising in the back of the woman's throat as well as on her inner lip. The nurse also noted that there was bruising to her right ear and that the woman also showed the officer bruising on the back of her left knee.

[PoconoDon]

He should be released and replaced. there's plenty of time to get his replacement up to speed.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

I'm not really sure why this is going to be a bad theme for us in the lead up to the SB? He's a back up guy, if he did it then the team will release him but he may also not be guilty. I don't think it's going to be a distraction because he's just not a well known player. 

And if he is guilty or there's something to this story then cut the scumbag.

[eglz1]

5 hours ago, Road to Victory said:

If he’s guilty send his ass to prison but I wonder why it took 3 years to charge him. The alleged crime was reported right away. 

I’m sure the Eagles did their due diligence as well. There’s no way they sign a marginal guy with this allegations against him  if they thought they were true. 

This is what I'm curious about. This charge is not a trivial one.

[ManchesterEagle]

5 hours ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Are you joking? He's an UDFA backup OL who got indicted by a grand jury less than two weeks before the Super Bowl. The only answer is to cut him immediately.

 

4 hours ago, kiwinavega said:

Pay him off, if you have to, but get him out of the door. The Eagles are hence giving him the chance to fully focus on clearing his name. (Yes, I have worked in public relations)

If it’s gone as far as him being indicted then it’s beyond just accusations. He may be innocent and really unlucky or he may be guilty but not get found guilty. 

Either way the Eagles can’t have this around the team. He needs to be cut.
 

[Hawkeye]

13 minutes ago, ManchesterEagle said:

 

If it’s gone as far as him being indicted then it’s beyond just accusations. He may be innocent and really unlucky or he may be guilty but not get found guilty. 

Either way the Eagles can’t have this around the team. He needs to be cut.
 

The league placed him on the exempt list.  He still gets paid but cannot be around the team until this is resolved.  So, he's out for the Super Bowl. 

[GoEagles614]

6 hours ago, Uscg-green said:

So the whole innocent until proven guilty thing is just nonsense right? If he actually did it then yes throw him in a hole and turn off the light but let him have his day in court before you destroy his life. 

You can cut him without destroying his life. He just won’t get a ring. Won’t be solved by then anyways

[brkmsn]

1 hour ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I'm not really sure why this is going to be a bad theme for us in the lead up to the SB? He's a back up guy, if he did it then the team will release him but he may also not be guilty. I don't think it's going to be a distraction because he's just not a well known player. 

And if he is guilty or there's something to this story then cut the scumbag.

As stated above, he's already on the Exempt list and not allowed to travel with, practice, etc... with the team. There's no shame in waiting for the legal system to do its job. He won't be with the team until the commissioner clears him. 

If I had to guess, it sounds incriminating and the Eagles most likely will part ways with him. It might make Seumalo a priority re-signing after this season. 

[vaff]

5 hours ago, downundermike said:

The police investigated the incident when it happened in 2019.  So if they did not know, shame on them, and if they did know, also shame on them.

I heard this was a sealed investigation.

I don’t even know if that’s a thing, but I read someone say it, fwiw.

[Procus]

3 hours ago, brkmsn said:

If I had to guess, it sounds incriminating and the Eagles most likely will part ways with him. It might make Seumalo a priority re-signing after this season. 

Disagree.  The guy was a developmental project.  If Seumalo leaves, he needs to be replaced with a starter - not a scrub.

[kiwieagle]

6 hours ago, BayAreaLennie said:

Here is what the ESPN article says is alleged to have occurred:

According to the police report obtained by ESPN, an officer was dispatched to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center emergency room in Cambridge, Ohio, on Dec. 5, 2019, to take a report of a sexual assault. According to the woman's account, a man dropped her and her cousin off at her cousin's place, where she was staying. After her cousin got out of the vehicle, "the male grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the truck." The male grabbed her by her ponytail and tried to kiss her, the report said, and she repeatedly told him to stop, but he continued. Once her friend was inside the home, the account continues, the man then tried to take off her pants and kept "touching me down there." She also alleged the man forced her to have oral sex with him.

She identified the man as Sills, whom she said she had gone to high school with and had known for seven or eight years. The officer took photos of the woman's face and neck, as she stated she had been grabbed several times by the neck, the report said. The deputy was also informed that hospital staff were doing a CT scan to check for strangulation injuries. A nurse informed the deputy that she discovered bruising in the back of the woman's throat as well as on her inner lip. The nurse also noted that there was bruising to her right ear and that the woman also showed the officer bruising on the back of her left knee.

Pretty horrific reading. Scumbag if true

Side note: what was the cousin doing getting out of the car and going into the house and not coming back to at least check on her?

[vaff]

22 minutes ago, kiwieagle said:

Pretty horrific reading. Scumbag if true

Side note: what was the cousin doing getting out of the car and going into the house and not coming back to at least check on her?

Yeah, easy to second guess, but that’s not exactly an intelligent move by the cousin.

[Diehardfan]

54 minutes ago, kiwieagle said:

Pretty horrific reading. Scumbag if true

Side note: what was the cousin doing getting out of the car and going into the house and not coming back to at least check on her?

So why has it taken this long for it to go to trial and charges to be filed? That doesn't mean I think he is innocent, but it is inconceivable to me that it took this long to gather more evidence or to prepare a case....or have someone with the guts to charge him. It's an outrage that someone would possibly do that, but it's equally outrageous to me to let that type of a person be free for that many years. Someone like that is a monster who isn't right in the head and could very likely do it to someone else.  Now, most of us just reading those details are understandably outraged, so it's not surprising a grand jury would move forward. We'll see what happens, but it's bull that it's taken so long.

[Diehardfan]

1 hour ago, kiwieagle said:

Pretty horrific reading. Scumbag if true

Side note: what was the cousin doing getting out of the car and going into the house and not coming back to at least check on her?

The article said they knew each other for a number of years. She might not have thought twice about it.

[Portyansky]

Not that I think it would, but hopefully players don't get distracted by this.

[vaff]

59 minutes ago, Diehardfan said:

So why has it taken this long for it to go to trial and charges to be filed? That doesn't mean I think he is innocent, but it is inconceivable to me that it took this long to gather more evidence or to prepare a case....or have someone with the guts to charge him. It's an outrage that someone would possibly do that, but it's equally outrageous to me to let that type of a person be free for that many years. Someone like that is a monster who isn't right in the head and could very likely do it to someone else.  Now, most of us just reading those details are understandably outraged, so it's not surprising a grand jury would move forward. We'll see what happens, but it's bull that it's taken so long.

The timing of it is very weird. I have no idea why they would do it, but it seems really odd that this indictment — for a crime from three years ago —  happened right as the eagles are about to play in the Super Bowl.

[Knik Eagle]

2 hours ago, vaff said:

The timing of it is very weird. I have no idea why they would do it, but it seems really odd that this indictment — for a crime from three years ago —  happened right as the eagles are about to play in the Super Bowl.

The prosecutor probably has a weak case and decided to indict him now because of the media attention it would get.  From reading the article this should not have taken 3 years to get to this point.  Law Enforcement didn’t do the alleged victim or Sills any favors with how they handled this case.