New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs faces a felony charge of strangulation or suffocation and a misdemeanor assault and battery following an incident with his personal chef.
The charge was filed in Dedham District Court in Massachusetts, and Diggs’ attorneys appeared in court remotely on Tuesday on his behalf.
Diggs has denied wrongdoing in the Dec. 2 incident, which occurred a day after New England beat the New York Giants 33-15 on “Monday Night Football.”
The 32-year-old Diggs is set to be arraigned on Jan. 23, two days before the AFC Championship Game if the Patriots advance that far in the playoffs.
Details of alleged assault
According to a police report, a woman hired as a private chef said that on Dec. 2, the woman met with Diggs to discuss payment for services and that Diggs entered her bedroom and hit her. The alleged victim says that the Pro Bowler then began choking her and that she struggled to breathe.
“You will be paying me out for the season & the money you said you would give me,” the victim said in one text message exchange, according to court documents. Diggs then said, “I don’t gotta do a mf thing…You can get whoever you want. You got my address, tell them come take the money.”
Authorities wrote the details of the business arrangement in their report, which was filed on Dec. 16.
“She said that she is normally paid by wire transfer, and the initial agreement was for weekly pay. She said that since she has been working, she has been getting paid monthly instead,” police wrote in the report. “As of now, she said that she still believes she is owed a month’s pay.”
The woman says that Diggs’ assistant wanted her to sign a nondisclosure agreement, and that Diggs’ lawyer, Michael DiStefano, told the court a financial settlement has already been offered to the woman to resolve the case.
‘Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations. They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur,“ Diggs’ other attorney David Meier said in a statement. ”The timing and motivation for making the allegations are 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.”
Patriots and NFL response
‘The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs,’ the Patriots said in a statement. ‘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.’
“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.
The Patriots can wrap up a first-round bye and the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a victory in the season finale against the Miami Dolphins and a loss by the AFC West champion Denver Broncos to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler, has 82 catches for 970 yards and four touchdowns this season.