New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs he was charged with strangulation or suffocation and assault and battery at a court hearing Tuesday. According to a Dedham, Massachusetts police report, the alleged victim in the Dec. 2 incident was his personal chef.
Through his lawyer, Diggs denied the allegations. The woman's name was removed from the police report.
The chef reported the incident on Dec. 16, telling police that she and Diggs had a dispute over pay after he told her in a text message that her services were not needed the week of Nov. 7 and she responded that she should be paid for the week.
The woman told police that Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom in his home and “punched her in the face.” She tried to push him away, and he “tried to strangle her by putting his arm around her neck.”
She said she had trouble breathing and felt like she had blacked out. “When she tried to pull his hand away, he tightened his grip,” she told police.
The woman told police she had redness in her upper chest after the incident, but did not take photographs. She returned to Diggs' home on Dec. 9 to pick up personal items and he instructed her to talk to his assistant about getting her paycheck, she told police. The assistant told her that Diggs asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement, but she refused.
Diggs' girlfriend is rapper Cardi B. gave birth to a son in November. Cardi B, née Belcalis Almanzar, is not mentioned by name in the police report, although the woman told police on Dec. 20 that a few days earlier, “she received voicemail and text messages from a woman she believed to be Diggs' friend. According to those messages, [the alleged victim] believed Diggs somehow knew police had been contacted. The messages said things like, “You don’t have to do all this. It's not that important.”
The woman, who had been working as Diggs' private chef since July, initially didn't want police to press charges against the two-time All-Pro wide receiver, but changed her mind on Dec. 23.
Diggs' attorney, David Meyer, said in a statement that his client “categorically denies these allegations. They are unfounded, uncorroborated and were never investigated – because they never happened.”
“The timing and motivation for the charges are very clear: they are the direct result of a financial dispute between an employee and employer that was not resolved to the employee's satisfaction. Stephon hopes to set the record straight in court.”
Meyer also said Diggs made a financial proposal to the woman, telling the judge at Tuesday's hearing, “They are working to come to an agreement on that at this point.”
According to the police report, Diggs did not respond to investigators' calls and the criminal complaint was “based on [the alleged victim’s] statement.”
Diggs, 32, has been one of the NFL's best wide receivers since he began his career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015. ranks fifth among active players with 939 career receptions, including 82 this season for 970 yards.
This is his first season with the Patriots, who clinched the AFC East title and will begin the playoffs with a home game the weekend of Jan. 10. Diggs is in the first year of a three-year, $69 million contract.
“We stand with Stephon,” the Patriots said in a statement. “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.”
Diggs' arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 23. On Tuesday, Meyer asked the judge to delay the trial until March, but no ruling was made.
