Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is participating in the team’s mandatory minicamp this week, the first time he has returned since his arrest for a February incident with his former girlfriend.
Pearce was charged with three felonies for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing the police and resisting an officer with violence. He entered a 12-month pretrial intervention program in May that could result in all charges being dropped.
Pearce still faces possible discipline from the NFL, and Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that the team has received no update on the league’s investigation.
“I’m not going to give the specifics about the conversations with any player,” Stefanski said, via Josh Kendall of TheAthletic.com. “I like to keep things private, but he understands what’s expected of him.”
Pearce will have limited participation in practice this week after not participating in the voluntary offseason work.
“I really can’t speak to the past,” Stefanski said. “What’s in the future? I’m excited that everybody’s here, ready to learn.”
Pearce is not expected to speak to the media this week, a team representative told Kendall.
Pearce, the 26th overall pick of last year’s draft, appeared in all 17 games with three starts as a rookie. He finished the season with 10.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits and five passes defensed.
