Eagles Player Josh Sills Waives Arraignment After Getting Indicted on Rape and Kidnapping Charges

The Philadelphia Eagles reserve offensive lineman was indicted on rape and kidnapping charges earlier this month for an incident in Dec. 2019

Photo: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty

Content warning: This article contains upsetting descriptions of an alleged sexual assault.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Josh Sills chose to waive his arraignment on Feb. 16, and will make his first court appearance in Ohio next month where he will stand trial for accusations of rape and kidnapping.

According to ESPN, the rookie, 25, chose to not appear at the Guernsey County Common Pleas Court, where a representative entered a not guilty plea for charges of rape of the first degree and kidnapping on his behalf. He remains free after posting a $25,000 cash bond, and will appear in court on March 6.

The charges against Sills come from an incident with a woman on Dec. 5, 2019, where she alleged Sills "purposely compelled" her to "submit by force or threat of force" into sexual relations. According to a police report, Sills forced her to perform oral sex in his truck for 20 minutes.

The police report revealed the incident occurred around 2 a.m. after Sills gave a ride to the alleged victim and her cousin from a cafe in Mt. Ephraim. She alleged Sills "grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the truck" after dropping off her cousin, and then "grabbed her by her ponytail and tried to kiss her," after she "kept telling him to stop."

Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock

He continued to roughly assault her, according to the police report, and at one point grabbed the victim's leg "so hard she couldn't breathe." The responding officer reported bruising behind her knee, per the police report.

After the incident, the alleged victim, who was 21 at the time, went to the hospital where an MRI scan checked for "strangulation injuries" and she was treated for bruising in her inner lip and the back of her throat.

Sills and the alleged victim had known each other for seven or eight years and attended high school together, the police report stated.

On Feb. 1, the NFL placed Sills on the league's Commissioner Exempt List, barring him from participating in any team travel or activities — a little over a week ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles' appearance in the Super Bowl.

"Sills may not participate in practices and games or travel with the team while on the Commissioner Exempt List," the NFL said in a statement. "The matter will be reviewed under the NFL's personal conduct policy."

Sills was signed by the Eagles in 2022 after he went unselected in the NFL draft. The offensive guard played one game this season as a rookie in Week 5.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In a statement issued to PEOPLE, the Philadelphia Eagles said, "The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills. 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."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.