Rickea Jackson Gets Protection as Judge Bars James Pearce Jr. After Aggravated Assault

Rickea Jackson and James Pearce Jr. were in a relationship since their days together as star athletes representing the Tennessee Vols.

Rickea Jackson Gets Protection as Judge Bars James Pearce Jr. After Aggravated Assault

James Pearce Jr. and Rickea Jackson (Image via FirstSportz)

Less than a year ago, WNBA fans were caught off guard when they saw Los Angeles Sparks star forward Rickea Jackson sitting beside Tennessee star James Pearce Jr. as his name was called out in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Up until that point, her private life was a mystery, and that video clip forced fans to try to find out how the Detroit, Michigan native managed to sit beside the linebacker’s family at their home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Of course, the two crossed paths at the University of Tennessee, and that clip confirmed that they were in a relationship, even though Jackson tried her best to jokingly claim the woman in that video looked similar to her.

Fast forward to now, and the 6’2″ star might not joke anymore about their relationship after several Miami-Dade police officers had to pounce on the Atlanta Falcons star to restrain and arrest him.

Local 10 reported that James Pearce Jr. was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. On top of that, they also charged him with one count each of aggravated stalking and fleeing or eluding police with lights or siren.

Later, it was revealed that the NFL star, who came very close to winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, was allowed to leave jail after posting a $20,500 bond.

One of the conditions for his release was that the judge give him a pretrial conditional stay-away order. This means Rickea Jackson gets the protection she needs.

James Pearce Jr. allegedly crashed into Rickea Jackson

Rickea Jackson was busy playing alongside Breeze BC teammates Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink in the second season of Unrivaled in Miami, Florida.

She was probably expecting to recuperate over the weekend before taking part in the grueling 1-on-1 tournament. With her first game against Paris Olympics gold medalist Kahleah Copper on the cards, the last thing she needed was a domestic dispute with her boyfriend.

Even though major news publications have not revealed the reason why James Pearce Jr. was arrested, Andy Slater, a broadcaster on FOX Sports South Florida, revealed this:

This entire situation started after Pearce Jr. allegedly stalked his ex from his car and tried to get into her car at an intersection, I’m told. She sped away, but he still continued to go after her.

Andy Slater wrote on X

This was after his earlier claim that the Falcons’ rookie had crashed his Lamborghini into Rickea Jackson’s car as she was trying to get to a police station.

Even though this is unverified, clips of police trying to keep James Pearce Jr. from escaping, the fact that he traveled from San Francisco to confront Rickea Jackson, and then the charges, all probably point towards the possibility of him being potentially violent towards the WNBA star.

Rickea Jackson and Breeze BC are Unrivaled underdogs

Women’s basketball fans were surprised when Rickea Jackson was picked alongside fellow youngsters Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink, and the phenomenal Dominique Malonga to be a part of Breeze BC.

Rickea Jackson and her Breeze BC teammates
Rickea Jackson and her Breeze BC teammates (Image via Unrivaled/Threads)

Along with Kate Martin and Aari McDonald, the average age of this team is very low compared to the other teams who have a good mix of experienced WNBA vets. That instantly made them the tournament’s de facto underdogs. They have defied that moniker with some good wins over some of the pre-season favorites.

Then there were also those close losses, with the last two coming when the league set a women’s basketball attendance record. Despite those losses, they are still in fourth place and have four more games left to cement a playoff spot.

Once they get there, of course, the lack of a veteran presence may affect their preparations. However, Rickea Jackson and her teammates will not shy away from putting up a fight.

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