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New England Patriots player Stefon Diggs has been accused of a series of serious criminal violations, according to Dedham District Court documents.
The charges reportedly include felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery. The charges stem from a Dec. 2 incident.
In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, David Meier, one of the attorneys of record for Diggs, confirmed that the veteran NFL wide receiver categorically denies the claims brought against him and added the dispute was between an employer and an employee.
“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.”
A police narrative in a court filing about the case said a woman came to the Dedham Police Department on Dec. 16 to say that two weeks earlier, while working as a private chef for Diggs, he came into her bedroom and became angry during a discussion about money.
The woman told police Diggs “smacked her across the face,” she tried to push him away and then he “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”
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“She said that he was behind her with his arm wrapped around her,” wrote Officer Kenneth J. Ellis. “She said that she did feel like she had trouble breathing and that she felt like she could have blacked out.”
Diggs threw her on a bed and said “lies” when she told him she had not been paid, Ellis wrote. The chef sought payment for a week in November when Diggs was having house guests, and she had to go home, Ellis wrote. The woman “left her position” and the home in Dedham but returned on Dec. 9 to retrieve her property. At that point, she told police, Diggs referred her to his assistant, who told the woman she had to sign a non-disclosure agreement before she would be paid. She did not sign it, police said.
The woman was reluctant to file charges until last week, Ellis wrote, when “she let me know that she had changed her mind from a few days ago” and wanted criminal charges.
The four-time NFL Pro Bowler is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Jan. 23. The AFC Championship Game is scheduled to kick off on Jan. 25. A judge is expected to consider a request to move the arraignment to a later date.
Michael DiStefano, another member of Diggs’ legal team, appeared at the courthouse on Tuesday and asked that the police report be impounded to keep details under seal, Boston 25 News reported.
DiStefano also told the local outlet that Diggs proposed financial compensation for the alleged victim to expedite resolution of the case. “As we speak, they’re working to come to an agreement on that,” he said.
In a statement, the team acknowledged the situation and said the 32-year-old receiver denied the claims against him. “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,” the organization said in a statement obtained by multiple outlets.
“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 NFL said in a separate statement, “We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club. We have no further comment at this time.”
Diggs signed a three-year contract with the Patriots this past offseason. In his first season in New England, Diggs recorded 970 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 16 games.
Last month, he welcomed a child with music star Cardi B.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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