Wednesday's NFL: Eagles reserve lineman accused of rape ahead of Super Bowl
Cambridge, Ohio — Josh Sills, a reserve offensive lineman for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, has been indicted on rape and kidnapping charges that stem from an incident in Ohio just over three years ago, authorities said Wednesday.
Sills, an undrafted free agent who appeared in just one game this season, was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. That means he can’t practice, play or travel with the team as it prepares for the Super Bowl.
The NFL announced the move Wednesday and said the issue is being reviewed under the league's personal conduct policy.
The rookie, who played at West Virginia and Oklahoma State, was indicted Tuesday by a Guernsey County grand jury in Ohio and ordered to appear in court on Feb. 16, four days after the Eagles are to play the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
His attorney, Michael Connick, said the allegations are false and that Sills will be aggressively defended.
Sills was listed as a backup guard and played just four snaps on special teams against the Cardinals on Oct. 9, the one game he played. He was on the inactive list for most of the year, including this past Sunday in Philadelphia’s conference title victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
“The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills. We have been in communication with the league office and are in the process of gathering more information. We have no further comment at this time,” the Eagles said in a statement.
The indictment accuses Sills, who is from Sarahsville, Ohio, of engaging in sexual activity that was not consensual and holding a woman against her will on Dec. 5, 2019.
A statement issued by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said the incident was immediately reported, and that the county sheriff’s office conducted a detailed investigation.
McCarthy set to call plays for Cowboys after Moore departure
Mobile, Ala. — Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is set to call plays in 2023 after the club parted ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Owner/general manager Jerry Jones told reporters at the Senior Bowl on Wednesday that McCarthy will run a version of the West Coast offense he used when calling plays as head coach in Green Bay from 2006-18.
Executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones hinted at philosophical differences between McCarthy and Moore, who kept the play-calling role for three seasons after McCarthy was hired.
The Los Angeles Chargers hired Moore as offensive coordinator Monday, a day after the Cowboys announced Moore's departure.
The Cowboys haven't had the head coach calling plays since Jason Garrett gave up that role after the 2012 season. Moore's debut as offensive coordinator came in 2019, Garrett's final year in Dallas.
McCarthy said he wanted to keep Moore as the play-caller because he thought it was the best thing for quarterback Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys had one of the league's most productive offenses the past two seasons when Prescott was healthy. But they misfired on offense in playoff losses each time, most recently in a 19-12 divisional-round loss to San Francisco last month.
McCarthy briefly gave up play-calling with the Packers, and said he'd never give up that role again after taking it back over.
He was fired midseason in 2018 and reversed course on that declaration after joining Dallas in 2020. Now McCarthy is back in that role.
“This is the logical step to build on it and use what we’ve established, if you will, the foundation of the things we’ve got,” Jones told reporters in Mobile, Alabama. “This is the time for us to build on it. That’s what this is, a building step.”
Moore's departure came a few days after the Cowboys announced six assistant coaches on expiring contracts wouldn't return.
With McCarthy set to call plays, Dallas is still planning to hire an offensive coordinator. Among the interviews are Carolina's Jeff Nixon and Thomas Brown of the Los Angeles Rams. Both have been assistant head coaches, with Nixon in charge of running backs and Brown coaching tight ends.
Rhule files $5M arbitration suit vs. Panthers
Charlotte, N.C. — Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule has filed an arbitration suit with the NFL against the Carolina Panthers seeking about $5 million in offset severance compensation, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Rhule was fired as Panthers head coach on Oct. 10. He has since hired high-profile New York City litigator John Singer of Singer Deutsch LLP to handle the lawsuit, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the arbitration suit has not been made public.
A Panthers spokesman would not confirm the suit and declined to comment to the AP. Rhule, reached by text, also declined to comment.
CBS Sports was first to report the arbitration suit.
Rhule was fired after Week 5 of the NFL season, less than three years into a seven-year, $62 million contract. He was 11-27 as head coach with the Panthers. He was owed approximately $34 million at the time he was fired by billionaire David Tepper, the NFL's second-wealthiest owner.
Rhule returned to college coaching in November when he was hired by Nebraska, receiving a reported eight-year, $72 million contract that seemingly offset what the Panthers owed him. But the arbitration suit alleges the Panthers still owe him about $5 million because of how the contract with Carolina was structured.
The Panthers introduced Frank Reich as their new head coach at a news conference on Tuesday.
Tepper said he made a “mistake” hiring Rhule, whom he described as a "CEO-type head coach.” Tepper added that it is “preferable to have a coach that is really extraordinary on one side of the ball or the other side of the ball.”
“Listen, I’ll self-admit — we could have run a better process last time,” Tepper said. “And I am learning. ... With all humility, I could have done better, OK? I’m not saying that Rhule wasn’t a good coach. I’m not saying that. Please don’t interpret it that way. I’m saying I could have run a better process last time. I do believe that. I think this time we were very thorough. I was in every single interview.”
Personnel dept.
... The Washington Commanders are interviewing Anthony Lynn for their offensive coordinator vacancy.
The team confirmed the interview Wednesday. Lynn, the San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach/running backs coach, is the sixth candidate the Commanders have spoken to about the job.
Coach Ron Rivera interviewed Lynn in person in California days after the 49ers flew home following their loss at Philadelphia in the NFC championship game.
Lynn, 54, offers a deep resume after coaching the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017-20 and serving as offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions in 2021 before joining San Francisco.