Saying she fears for her life, Sparks forward Rickea Jackson has filed for protection against her ex-boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons running back James Pearce Jr.
Miami-Dade (Fla.) County Judge Heloiza Correa granted Jackson’s initial request for protection on Feb. 9, and a permanent sentencing hearing has been postponed to April 21. Pearce is under an order not to contact Jackson or come within 500 meters of his home or place of work.
“James threatened to kill me, James threatened to hurt me, James threatened to hurt me, James threatened to put a bag over my head, and James has verbally and physically abused me more than once,” Jackson wrote in his statement to the court.
Jackson, 24, also filed a notice with the court that he is willing to testify against Pearce. Her original request for a dating violence protection order — basically a restraining order — was filed two days after Pearce was arrested on Feb. 7 for allegedly crashing her Lamborghini SUV more than once, and doing the same to a police car in Doral, Fla.
Pearce, 22, faces charges of aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon, aggravated stalking, aggravated battery and fleeing an officer. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer and nine traffic violations.
“Mr. Pearce maintains his innocence and urges the public to understand that while allegations have the power to shape the narrative, they are not the full, complete story,” Pearce’s attorney, Jacob Nunez, told the AP shortly after the arrest. “We look forward to vigorously defending our client.”
In a court filing, Jackson said she broke up with Pearce a few weeks before the incident that led to her arrest. She said Pearce offered her $200,000 to continue the relationship with him and that his behavior had become increasingly alarming. According to ESPN, at least seven other 911 calls to police in the months before the Feb. 7 reported that Pearce was stalking or harassing an unnamed girlfriend.
The police report says the relationship between Jackson and Pearce began three years ago when both were popular players in Tennessee.
Pearce was taken by the Falcons in the first round of the 2025 draft with a pick acquired from the Rams. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound edge rusher finished third in the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 10.5 sacks.
Jackson was the Sparks’ first-round pick in 2024. The 6-2 forward emerged as a star in his sophomore season, picking up MVP votes after averaging 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
“He’s a smooth person, a smooth athlete, a smooth basketball player,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said of 2025. “You make hard things look really easy … you make things look easy, and I know they’re not.”
Relations between Jackson and Pearce soured in January when the Falcons star admitted in a police report obtained by ESPN that he thought Jackson was cheating on him.
The February 7 incident was described in Jackson’s court filing and police report. Jackson was trying to get away from Pearce, who followed him in his car, tried to open his car door at a stop sign and crashed his car more than once while trying to pull into the Doral Police Department parking lot “because I knew James was going to hurt me,” Jackson said.
The officer pulled a gun on Pearce and told him to get off the ground. However, Pearce went back to his car. The officer tried to open the door, but Pearce closed it and drove off, his car clipping the officer’s left knee.
Police gave chase and Pearce crashed into an intersection before fleeing on foot. The police said they caught him and he refused to be arrested. He was released after posting a $20,500 bond.
