Accountability for James Pearce Jr. apparently won’t come from the Falcons

FLOWERY BRANCH — James Pearce Jr. isn’t here for Falcons team workouts this week. That’s no surprise.

The sessions are voluntary, and Pearce is facing three felony charges in Miami-Dade County in Florida related to his alleged assault of WNBA player Rickea Jackson.

Coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn’t say whether the Falcons told Pearce to stay away.

“Respectfully, I would tell you this is a voluntary program so that’s up to each individual player to make those decisions,” Stefanski said Wednesday. “I would also add we’ve had great discussions with his representation.”

It sounds as if the Falcons are buying what defense attorney Jacob Nunez is selling. At the time of Pearce’s arrest, Nunez said Pearce “maintains his innocence” and was “confident that he will continue contributing positively to both his team and the community he serves so well.”

If Pearce doesn’t go to prison, the team’s decision on whether to keep him will come down to a cost/benefit analysis.

They would benefit from Pearce helping them win games in 2026 after his standout rookie season. He would cost them a reputational hit and whatever loss of customer support comes from employing an alleged domestic abuser.

Precedent shows that the fallout likely would be minimal. The NFL’s popularity has endured even as some of its high-profile players are charged with serious crimes, including domestic violence.

Franchise owner Arthur Blank’s customers might be OK cheering for a player who, according to Jackson’s statement to the court, subjected her to a “never-ending campaign of threats, physical assaults, and abuse” since she ended their relationship. Jackson said she believed Pearce would kill her if he wasn’t ordered to stay away from her (a judge granted her request).

But even if Falcons fans are fine with Pearce staying on the team, I don’t see how Blank can say that accountability is an important value for the Falcons so long as Pearce is here.

Blank talked a lot about the team’s lack of accountability when he dismissed coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot. Accountability should extend to off-field actions, too.

That’s the whole point of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Players accused of domestic violence and assault can be banned for six games even if they aren’t convicted of a crime.

The Falcons have their own investigators gathering information about Pearce’s actions in the February incident. They’ve said that they won’t comment on the case until it is resolved.

The Falcons could release Pearce before then. That would mean taking a significant hit to their salary cap because there are three guaranteed years left on Pearce’s contract. But releasing Pearce would send a clear signal about accountability to his teammates and the community that Nunez said Pearce serves.

That move also would be a clean break from the previous regime.

The Falcons have a new coach, president of football (Matt Ryan) and general manager (Ian Cunningham). None of them had anything to do with drafting Pearce, but they are on the hook for how they deal with him now.

Pearce, 22, is accused of chasing Jackson in his SUV and ramming her vehicle before attempting to flee from police. Prosecutors charged him with three felonies: aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing or eluding a police officer and resisting an officer with violence to his or her person.

Pearce’s next court hearing is scheduled for April 21. In the meantime, two of Pearce’s teammates said they hope he will remain with the Falcons.

Safety Jessie Bates III, one of the team’s leaders, said he reached out to Pearce following his arrest “as a teammate, as a brother, just to let him know that he’s not alone during these tough times.”

“Of course, we would love to see him in our locker room,” Bates said.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson said he hasn’t talked to Pearce since his arrest but added that he’s “definitely praying for my brother.”

“I know when — if — he does come back, or if he’s here in this building, I’m going to make sure he’s all the way focused, all the way ready to go,” Robinson said. “Make sure his mind is at the right place so he can be at his best on and off the field.”