NFL suspends Falcons' James Pearce Jr. after arrest in domestic dispute

The NFL suspended Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. for the first eight games of the season after a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy, the league announced Friday. Pearce was arrested in February in Doral, Florida, following a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend and WNBA player Rickea Jackson. The NFL said potential charges—including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing police, resisting arrest, and misdemeanor stalking—could be dropped if Pearce participates in a pretrial intervention program with random drug tests, staying away from Jackson, and no legal trouble for one year. His suspension begins Aug. 30 and he could be reinstated Nov. 2 after Atlanta’s Week 8 game at Tampa Bay.