Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson has filed for a petition for protective order against her ex-boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons defensive end James Pearce Jr., according toESPN.
The court reportedly granted her initial request for protection, with a hearing for a permanent injunction scheduled for April 21. For now, Pearce is forbidden from having any contact with Jackson, going within 500 feet of her home or workplace and going within 100 feet of her vehicle.
Per ESPN, Jackson claims in the filing she is "in fear of my life" and that "James will kill me" if the legal system doesn't intervene. She reportedly alleges Pearce "verbally and physically abused me on more than one occasion" and threatened to kill, harm and injure her and to place a bag over her head.
The filing comes aftera highly publicized incident in South Florida last month in which Pearce was arrested on a litany of charges following a car chase.
Jackson reportedly added more details in the filing, claiming she called 911 and started driving toward a police station after seeing Pearce following her in his vehicle. Pearce is accused of chasing her at high speed, blocking her car at a traffic light, trying to enter her car, jumping on top of her car and striking her car multiple times while moving to get her to spin out.
After reaching the station, Jackson reportedly says she flagged down an officer as Pearce rammed her car, leading to the officer attempting to arrest Pearce, who left the scene.
Pearce now faces five felony charges: 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. He also faces nine traffic citations and a misdemeanor count of resisting an officer without violence to his person.
Advertisement
If convicted of all charges, Pearce faces decades in prison.Jackson has notified the authorities she is willing to testify against him.
Pearce has claimed innocence, with his legal team releasing a statement saying he "maintains his innocence and urges the public to understand that while allegations have the power to shape a narrative, that it is hardly the full, complete story."
In the time since Pearce's arrest, more details have come out about previous incidents.At least seven 911 calls were made to police about his alleged harassing and stalking in the weeks leading up to his arrest, and ESPN reports of a new incident in Davie, Florida on Jan. 28, when Jackson and Pearce reportedly got into an argument about his belief she was cheating on him.
In another incident in January, Jackson reportedly claims in her filing that Pearce, thinking she was cheating on him, took her cell phone, pulled her hair and snatched her belongings, then responded to her attempt to break up with "a campaign of threats, physical assaults and abuse" against her.
The Falcons have so far declined to cut ties with Pearce, releasing a statement after his arrest saying they were "in the process gathering more information.
Pearce was selected 26th overall by the Falcons in the 2025 NFL Draft after two first-team All-SEC seasons with Tennessee. He posted 26 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in his rookie year and finished in third place for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Jackson, who also went to Tennessee, is entering her third WNBA season this year and averaged 14.7 points per game in 2025. She recently finished her second Unrivaled season as well, competing for Breeze BC.