-
Marc Raimondi
Shut
Marc Raimondi
ESPN Employees Author
- Marc Raimondi’s first 12 months overlaying the Falcons was 2024, however it wasn’t his first 12 months at ESPN. He joined the corporate in 2019 and was a high fight sports activities reporter. He additionally coated skilled wrestling and wrote the e book “Say Hiya to the Dangerous Guys: How Professional Wrestling’s New World Order Modified America,” which was revealed by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi additionally labored for the New York Put up and Newsday, starting in 2009, overlaying highschool and faculty sports activities, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.
A number of Authors
WNBA participant Rickea Jackson filed a petition for defense towards her ex-boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr., saying that she was “in worry of my life” and that if the court docket did not intervene she believed “James will kill me,” based on court docket paperwork obtained by ESPN.
Jackson, who performs for the Los Angeles Sparks, filed the petition for injunction for defense towards courting violence within the days following Pearce’s arrest on battery and stalking costs, after he allegedly rammed his automobile into hers Feb. 7. Jackson individually filed discover with the court docket that she was prepared to testify in proceedings towards Pearce.
The court docket granted her preliminary request for defense, and a everlasting injunction listening to is about for April 21. Pearce is below order to not have contact with Jackson or come inside 500 toes of her residence or place of employment or 100 toes from her automobile.
Jackson wrote that Pearce “verbally and bodily abused me on a couple of event” and threatened to kill, hurt and injure her and to position a bag over her head, based on the court docket submitting.
Jackson additionally detailed the Feb. 7 incident that led to Pearce’s arrest, saying that she noticed Pearce following her in his automobile as she drove residence and that she referred to as 911 and as a substitute drove to a Doral, Florida, police station “as a result of I knew James was going to harm me.” She mentioned Pearce chased after her at excessive speeds and blocked her along with his automobile at a site visitors gentle, attempting to enter her automobile and leaping on high of the automobile.
She mentioned he then reentered his automobile and chased her automobile, putting her automobile a number of instances to get her to spin out. She mentioned he minimize her off along with his automobile and finally spun out himself. She mentioned Pearce ran her off the street earlier than she reached the Doral police station. Upon reaching the station, she flagged down an officer as Pearce rammed her automobile along with his. It’s then she says the officer tried to arrest Pearce, who left the scene. The preliminary incident report acknowledged that police pulled a gun on Pearce and he didn’t obey their instructions, as a substitute getting again into his automobile.
Pearce then allegedly struck a police officer along with his automobile, based on the preliminary incident report, earlier than he crashed his automobile and ran however was finally arrested by officers.
Pearce, 22, faces 5 felony costs — two counts of aggravated battery with a lethal weapon, one depend of aggravated stalking, fleeing and eluding law enforcement officials, and aggravated battery of a legislation enforcement officer. He additionally faces 9 site visitors citations and a misdemeanor depend of resisting an officer with out violence to his particular person.
Jackson, 24, wrote within the petition that she turned extra afraid for her security after attempting to interrupt up with Pearce weeks earlier than his arrest. She additionally mentioned Pearce instructed her he would give her “as much as $75,000” to go to with him and “$200,000 to stay in a relationship with him” within the hours main as much as the Feb. 7 incident.
The Falcons declined to remark to ESPN. Jackson’s attorneys and Pearce’s lawyer and agent didn’t instantly return messages left by ESPN.
Jackson mentioned that Pearce believed she was dishonest on him and that tensions escalated throughout a confrontation in January. She wrote within the petition that Pearce took her cellphone, pulled her hair and snatched her belongings, and that she didn’t wish to be in a relationship with him following the confrontation. She mentioned, “James didn’t hearken to my request and as a substitute went on a marketing campaign of threats, bodily assaults and abuse towards me.”
The outline of the encounter is just like that of 1 that occurred in an Uber, based on a Jan. 28 police report filed in Davie, Florida, and obtained by ESPN .
Davie police spoke with Jackson in particular person after which by cellphone with Pearce, who mentioned there was not a bodily altercation. Within the report, he admitted to pondering Jackson was dishonest and defined that she provided to let him search each her telephones. An Uber driver who was current throughout no less than a part of the incident instructed police he solely noticed a verbal argument, not a bodily one, and police didn’t see any bruising or harm to Jackson, figuring out there was no proof of against the law as a result of conflicting statements and lack of bodily harm.
Police in Florida responded to no less than seven different 911 calls made involving Pearce and an ex-girlfriend whose identify was redacted from police stories from November till the day of Pearce’s arrest.
Jackson mentioned within the petition that Pearce had been harassing her by textual content messages, demanded she keep in a relationship with him and “constantly banged on my entrance door quite a few instances.” She additionally mentioned he slept in his automobile exterior her residence ready for her to go away and stood in entrance of her residence when instructed to go away.
A police report Jan. 13 mentioned authorities instructed Pearce to not return to his ex-girlfriend’s residence.
