Prosecutors brought three felony charges against Atlanta Falcons player James Pearce Jr. stemming from an incident on Feb. 7 that police referred to as a domestic dispute with WNBA player and ex-girlfriend Rickea Jackson, according to a court document filed Thursday.
The Florida State Attorney's office in Miami-Dade County filed charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, feeling and eluding police and resisting an officer with violence. A fourth charge of stalking was brought as a misdemeanor.
An additional charge of aggravated battery of an officer was dropped.
Lawyers for Pearce and Jackson did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Pearce's attorney, Jacob Nunez, in February said his client “maintains his innocence and urges the public to understand that while allegations have the power to shape a narrative, that it is hardly the full, complete story.”
According to the police account, Jackson told authorities she attempted to drive away from Pearce and was driving toward the Doral police station to seek help when Pearce “intentionally collided into the rear of her vehicle with his SUV” before police arrived.
Pearce allegedly refused an initial order from police to “get on the floor,” according to details of the arrest in an affidavit. The police account said Pearce then drove away and hit a police officer’s left knee with his vehicle “intentionally in an attempt to evade arrest.”
According to police, Pearce wrecked his vehicle and then continued in his attempt to elude police by running before being apprehended following a “short struggle.”
Jackson in a petition for protection against Pearce filed in February after she expressed fears for her safety that predated the incident for which he was arrested and charged.
“Due to his obsessive, insecure, violent and aggressive behavior, ending the relationship has been difficult and I am afraid for my life,” Jackson said in the petition filed in the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County. “James has threatened to kill me, James has threatened to harm me, James has threatened to injure me, James has threatened to place a bag over my head, and James has verbally and physically abused.”
Jackson in the petition said Pearce snatched her phone, pulled her hair and took her belongings, at which point she decided to end their relationship.
She described a pattern of harassing behavior leading up to Feb. 7, including Pearce offering her $75,000 to visit him and $200,000 to remain in a relationship with him, according to the petition. Jackson said she was driving when she noticed Pearce following her in his car and she said he “began driving his vehicle erratically, at high speeds chasing after me.”
Jackson said in the petition she began driving to the Doral Police Department because she feared Pearce would hurt her. She said Pearce repeatedly struck her vehicle with his before getting to the station.
“I am in fear of my life and I believe, if this court does not assist me with this issue, James will kill me,” Jackson said, according to the documents.
Jackson, 24, is two years into her WNBA career. She said she and Pearce began dating when they were at the University of Tennessee together.
Pearce, 22, was the No. 26 pick in the NFL draft last year. He had 10 1/2 sacks and his 45 quarterback pressures set a Falcons rookie record.
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Mist BC forward Alanna Smith (8) defends Breeze BC wing Rickea Jackson (2) during the second half of a semifinal in an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game, Monday, March 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Trump administration denounced CNN on Thursday for airing a portion of the new Iranian supreme leader's public statement, the second time in three days that he's targeted the network for reporting on how the regime is responding to the American attacks.
The attack illustrated the care news outlets must take in reporting during wartime, and the responsibilities of American journalists to report the perspective of countries its government views as enemies. It also exposed inconsistencies. The message of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during his first public statement since he succeeded his father, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, was widely available elsewhere.
The White House said on social media that “fake news CNN just aired four straight minutes of uninterrupted Iranian state TV, run by the same psychotic and murderous regime that prided itself on brutally slaughtering Americans for 47 years.”
Two days earlier, White House communications director Steven Cheung took issue with CNN anchor Erin Burnett's interview with Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator. Burnett asked Mousavian what he had been hearing about the Iranian government's interest in having talks with the United States. There wasn't much, he said.
“Ever notice how CNN just regurgitates quotes and unverified information from Iranian terrorists?” Cheung wrote on X. “Total disgrace. They have become the murderous Iranian Regime's version of Pravda,” he said, referring to the official newspaper of the former Soviet Union.
CNN did not address Cheung's statement but did respond to the White House attack on Thursday. It noted that CNN, Sky News and Al Jazeera also showed portions of the ayatollah's statement live.
“The world is watching with anticipation which direction this war will take,” CNN said. “Purported remarks from Iran's new supreme leader are a critical component in helping audiences understand where this conflict is heading and were aired for their obvious news value.”
Other news outlets, including The Associated Press, sent out alerts on what Khamenei said. His vow to keep up attacks on other Arab countries in the region and plans to choke off the world's oil supply were headlines. The New York Times led its website with a story on the speech in its immediate aftermath, later writing that the speech “was an early indication of how the new supreme leader would approach the war, as well as how he would lead the country.”
CNN has long been a favored target of President Donald Trump, dating back to his first term. It's a particularly vulnerable time for the network with Paramount Global's agreement to purchase CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, raising questions about its future editorial independence.
CNN showed a news anchor reading a portion of Khameini's remarks in Farsi, with an English translation. It did not air them in full. After the speech, correspondent Nick Paton Walsh gave a debrief to anchor Kate Bolduan, noting how the non-appearance of the leader — reportedly injured in an air attack — was as important as what he said.
“We were waiting to see the face of the man to have proof of his health and survival,” Walsh said, “and they've not met that moment. Instead, a handwritten message, it seems, that mostly reiterates things we kind of already knew.”
The Tech Transparency Project has reported that several Iranian leaders and institutions maintain verified accounts on X, formerly Twitter, owned by Trump ally Elon Musk. CNBC said Thursday that Khamenei has one of them, and an X account with his portrait posted the text of his remarks, available in Farsi and in an English translation.
Even though Khamenei's father is dead, an account with his portrait was active on Thursday, mainly reposting messages from his son. “The revenge we have in mind is not just because of the martyrdom of the illustrious Leader of the Revolution,” read one message posted Thursday. “Every member of the nation martyred by the enemy is a separate case that demands we seek revenge.”
X is officially blocked in Iran, though many use a virtual private network to bypass restrictions. A message sent to the platform on Thursday was not immediately returned.
There's a long history of journalists seeking interviews with world leaders, even when they are regarded as enemies of the United States. Most notable was “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace's interview with Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, when that country was holding Americans hostage.
Thursday's remarks by Iran's new supreme leader were absolutely newsworthy and legitimate for CNN to air them, said Jane Ferguson, a veteran international correspondent and founder of the journalism platform Noosphere. It's not the job of government leaders to pick apart what CNN is reporting, she said.
“We've always faced this,” she said, about when reporters interview leaders or other figures hostile to American interests. “This has been a bit of low-hanging fruit for awhile.”
Historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University said that it's unfair for CNN to be singled out in this instance. He, too, believes it is newsworthy to learn what leaders of an adversary are thinking, but it's important to make sure that journalists are careful.
“You have to be leery of being used as a propaganda tool by the Iranian regime,” he said. “On the other hand, knowing what the enemy is saying and looking for a sign of a peace offering or a nuance is important … It's a difficult balance.”
AP correspondent Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, attends the annual Quds, or Jerusalem Day, rally in Tehran, Iran, May 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
In this image taken with a slow shutter speed, President Donald Trump speaks during a women's history month event in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
