Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr. is facing a battery charge — as well as other offenses — after an alleged domestic incident with Los Angeles Sparks star Rickea Jackson.

Doral, Florida, Police Chief Edwin Lopez told local station Channel 10 News that Pearce, 22, was in custody after crashing his vehicle during a chase with officers on Saturday, February 7. He is facing charges for the aforementioned two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, plus fleeing or eluding police with lights or siren and aggravated stalking.

A spokesperson for the Atlanta Falcons told Us Weekly on Saturday, “We are aware of an incident involving James Pearce Jr. in Miami. We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time.”

Pearce reportedly fled the scene of an altercation with Jackson, 24, when police responded to a report of a dispute between a male and a female. Chief Lopez confirmed to Channel 10 News that the woman involved was Jackson.

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After allegedly fleeing, the football star crashed his car near Northwest 103rd Avenue and 66th Street in Doral before he was taken into custody. He was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami, with no bond immediately set.

Us has reached out to Doral police for comment and has also contacted the Sparks.

Pearce was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons as the 26th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft and ultimately played in 17 games with 26 combined tackles and 10.5 sacks last season, per Sports Illustrated. He previously played three seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers at the collegiate level before turning pro.

Jackson played small forward for the Lady Volunteers after transferring from Mississippi State in 2022. She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks as the fourth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.

A romance between the two athletes was rumored dating back to their college days in Tennessee. Jackson finally went public with the relationship when she sat next to Pearce at his NFL Draft party in April 2024.

Fans quickly pointed out the couple’s hard launch via social media, with Jackson playfully responding via X, “Soooo I have a doppelganger. Wow.”

In June 2025, Jackson shut down pregnancy rumors after she missed two Sparks games due to personal reasons. The pregnancy speculation started when she posted a selfie showing her holding a basketball in front of her stomach.

When a fan criticized Jackson’s friends for “implying that you’re pregnant,” she clarified, “1. My friends don’t use twitter. Yall gotta stop linking people because of a follow😩. 2. Yall come to conclusions everyday it’s hilarious, but I’m a ‘rich auntie’ typa gallll.”

Jackson returned to practice on June 3, 2025, where she complained to reporters about all of the speculation about her absence.

“You’ve just got to be realistic with yourself. Like, at the end of the day, media isn’t about facts anymore,” she told the media. “So that’s just the media. Just taking it with a grain of salt, and not being gullible.”

“Whatever sounds the juiciest, that’s what people want to go with,” she went on. “Like, I’m pregnant, apparently.”

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At the time, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts sought to downplay social media insinuations that Jackson’s absence was due to dissatisfaction with the WNBA franchise.

“In regards to Rickea, Rickea is a big part of our organization and our team,” Roberts, 50, said. “She is taking personal time and we support her. And we’re excited to get her back when she is ready to come back.”

Jackson returned to the court after a two-game absence and even played through a leg injury later in the 2025 season.

The longest-running primetime medical drama Grey’s Anatomy has been airing for 22 seasons now. Fans who were there during the first years claim the show went downhill after Cristina’s (Sandra Oh) exit or Derek’s (Patrick Dempsey) death. Even with the new batch of interns taking the spotlight, newer fans see the latest seasons as underwhelming at best. Arguments can be made with respect to the show’s quality over time, but the truth is newer seasons have featured notable highlights.

Ever since Krista Vernoff returned to join Shonda Rhimes as co-showrunner in Season 14, Grey’s Anatomy went through a reinvention that produced thoroughly engaging storylines. But there’s a specific point in which the show produced one of the best seasons of its modern era. In Season 17, Grey Sloan Memorial had to face head-on the COVID-19 pandemic. Though at the time, it might have hit too close to home, it gave Grey’s Anatomy a new meaning and purpose in the ever-changing landscape of medical TV dramas.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Felt Relevant Once Again in Season 17

Image via ABC

The COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down. Shutting everything down to prevent the spread of this new and deadly disease, humanity had to adapt to face this new reality. In entertainment, this meant shutting down productions of movies and TV shows – thus paralyzing the industry for the foreseeable future. When Grey’s Anatomy was able to resume production, the big questions of what the doctors of Grey Sloan should do and how they should proceed were answered swiftly – tackle the pandemic head-on.

By covering this delicate topic, Season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy made the show feel relevant once again. Whereas there was a long-standing tradition of showcasing catastrophe episodes every year, the entirety of Season 17 covered a real and global crisis that the doctors seemed powerless to face. The stakes felt real once again, as the hospital had to adapt to new sanitary measures, while trying to keep its patients and staff safe. Still, when the topic was gloomy, the later episodes of the season managed to end on a high note, flashing forward to the introduction of the vaccines and finally being able to recover the sense of normalcy we live with today.

Meredith’s Beach Featured the Return of Several ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fan-Favorites

Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) will never be exempt from catastrophes in her life. Whether personal or professional, she has always been on the brink of figurative or literal death. In Season 17, she was one of the early cases of COVID-19 the hospital had to treat. This brought the controversial beach into the show’s narrative. Love it or hate it, this metaphysical space was an escape from the dark reality both the audience and the hospital were facing at the time. This became our safe space – a maskless and bright place where happy reunions simply happened.

Thus, Season 17 featured fan-favorite and long-awaited returns in one of the few ways that made sense in the show’s narrative. This was the precise moment to bring back Chyler Leigh’s Lexie for one final heartfelt chat with her sister. Lexie’s comeback also brought Eric Dane’s Mark, as a sign that they had found a happy ending after all. T.R. Knight’s George strolled by to talk about how his death affected Meredith’s life. Last, but not least, Meredith saw Derek once again at this fateful moment. Seeing the power couple reunited was a tender callback to their better times. All of them encourage Meredith to keep fighting and return to her family. And though they were constructs of her own comatose mind, their appearances felt like a hug in the direst of times.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 17 Features the Last Impactful Deaths the Show Has Seen

Image via ABC

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Grey’s Anatomy’s tradition of featuring impactful deaths practically stopped with Season 17. It makes sense, considering it’d be hard to top their emotional punch. The first was Elena Bailey (Bianca F. Taylor), Miranda’s (Chandra Wilson) mother. After becoming infected with COVID-19 at her nursing home, Elena’s chances of survival were minimal, because the elderly were at higher risk. Grey’s Anatomy faithfully depicted the frustrating protocols that this catastrophe brought forth. The people who represented our support system were fated to die in isolation during this harrowing time. By showing this through Miranda’s resignation and Elena’s final moments, the series honored the victims of the pandemic.

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While these doctors saved lives, they also made some poor decisions.

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The second victim that this season claimed was Giacomo Gianniotti’s Andrew DeLuca. He died a hero, because he was responsible for the apprehension of a human trafficker, and his goodbye was one of the most heartfelt and heartbreaking moments in the modern era of Grey’s Anatomy. Meeting Meredith at her beach, he thanked her for the time they shared and for pushing him to get to know himself. The ambivalence of having to “choose” between life and death is elevated by DeLuca’s reunion with his mother. His bittersweet farewell represents an ideal welcome to the afterlife – and not everyone has gotten this courtesy in Grey’s Anatomy.

In retrospect, Season 17 of Grey’s Anatomy has quietly become one of the best of its modern era. More recent outings have struggled to recapture the emotional impact that this season had. With Pompeo’s departure as a regular in Season 19, this could also be considered the last time Meredith was front-and-center as the main focus of the show. Since the series is nowhere near its end, hopefully it will recapture this gut-wrenching feeling once again.

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Release Date

March 27, 2005

Directors

Rob Corn, Kevin McKidd, Debbie Allen, Chandra Wilson, Allison Liddi-Brown, Jeannot Szwarc, Tony Phelan

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Writers

Shonda Rhimes, Julie Wong, Jen Klein, Tameson Duffy, Meg Marinis

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• 
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  Chandra Wilson

  Dr. Miranda Bailey

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