Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr. has been suspended for the initial eight matches of the 2026 season for breaching the league’s personal conduct regulations, as declared by the league on Friday. Pearce was apprehended in February after a domestic altercation with his ex-partner and WNBA athlete, Rickea Jackson, in Doral, Florida. The charges against Pearce, which include aggravated battery with a lethal weapon, evading law enforcement and resisting arrest, and misdemeanor stalking, may be dismissed if he complies with a pretrial intervention program involving random drug screenings, maintaining distance from Jackson, and staying clear of legal issues for a year.
Although the suspension will commence on August 30, Pearce is eligible to take part in pre-season games and team events until then. He could potentially return on Monday, November 2, following the Falcons’ eighth-week match against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before facing the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, Spain, the subsequent week. The Falcons’ defense has been affected by Jalon Walker’s season-ending ACL injury, leaving them with a limited set of pass rushers, including Christian Harris, JD Bertrand, Samson Ebukam, Kendal Daniels, and Bralen Trice. Cameron Sample was added to the team following Walker’s injury.
In a series of suspensions issued by the NFL, Pearce was one of four players penalized. The league also suspended Commanders’ Dorance Armstrong, Titans’ Nazeeh Johnson, and Bills’ Phidarian Mathis. Armstrong will miss the Commanders’ season opener against Philadelphia after being suspended for one game for violating the personal conduct policy. Meanwhile, Johnson received a six-game suspension for breaching the performance-enhancers policy, and Mathis was handed a three-game suspension for violating the substances of abuse policy. Both players are allowed to train and compete with their teams until August 30, the deadline for setting the 53-player rosters.
Johnson is set to return for the Titans’ clash against Cleveland on October 25, while Mathis can rejoin the Bills for their game against New England on October 4. Johnson, with three prior seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, joined the Titans just before the start of training camp. On the other hand, Mathis, who is 28 years old, played six games with the Bills last season after featuring in 23 games with Washington during his initial three NFL seasons.
