New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing serious criminal charges.
Boston 25 reports that Diggs is being charged with “felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from an incident on Tuesday, Dec. 2, court documents show.” The incident reportedly occurred a day after the Patriots defeated the New York Giants.
The outlet added that the receiver’s attorney appeared in court remotely in Dedham on Tuesday, looking to “have the police report impounded, arguing that the details should remain sealed.” The Boston Globe added that the reason for this request is that there would be “substantial risk of widespread publicity” that could alter the case if details were released.
Diggs’s lawyer, Michael DiStefano, also noted that Diggs “made a financial offer to resolve the dispute with the alleged victim in this case.”
“As we speak, they’re working to come to an agreement on that,” DiStefano said, with the judge saying she will take this request under advisement, according to Boston 25.
According to court documents, Diggs’ court session began at 11 a.m. today. He is now set to be arraigned on Friday, Jan. 23, which is just two days before the AFC Championship game, Boston 25 added; however, the judge is considering a request to extend Diggs’ arraignment date to March.
What The Police Report Says
CBS News further reports that the Dedham police report reveals a woman walked into the police station on Dec. 16 and spoke to an officer about the incident. She revealed that she was having an ongoing text conversation with the wide receiver about money she was owed, alleging that he hadn’t given her one month’s pay.
The woman says that she was hired by Diggs in July to serve as his personal chef for the NFL season, also having a room to stay in his house in Massachusetts. On Dec. 2, she alleges that Diggs walked into her room and confronted her.
“She said that they began to discuss this, which apparently angered the male,” police said in the report. “She alleges that the male then smacked her across the face. She said that she tried to push him away. The male then tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”
The woman told police that she had trouble breathing and was worried she would black out, adding that there was redness on her upper chest, but no photos of the injuries.
An officer told the woman that she could continue with an investigation and formally file charges as well as take out a restraining order, but she declined. On Dec. 20, she spoke to police once again, saying that she received a voicemail and text messages from Diggs’ girlfriend.
“The messages stated something to the effect of ‘you don’t need to do all this. It’s not that big of a deal,” the chef said, according to the report.
On Dec. 22, she told authorities that she had changed her mind and wanted to file charges.
The New England Patriots Release A Statement
The Patriots have released a statement following news of these charges against Diggs.
“The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs. Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary. Out of respect for all parties involved, and given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time,” the organization said (per ESPN’s Mike Reiss).
NFL Releases A Statement
“We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club. We have no further comment at this time,” the NFL said in a statement (per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero).
Stefon Diggs’ Lawyer and Agent Releases A Statement
“Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations. They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur. The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law,” Attorney David Meier said in a statement.
“Stefon unequivocally denies the allegation,” his agent, Adisa Bakari, said in a statement. “We are confident that once the facts are fully reviewed, it will be clear that these allegations are unfounded. We will not be commenting further at this time.”
This story will continue to be updated as new information is made available.
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