UPDATE: 9/1/26, 4:30 PM ET: New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon DiggsThe deposition has been delayed until February 13. TMZ confirmed on Friday, January 9.
It had been scheduled for Jan. 23, just two days before the AFC Championship Game. That meant the charge could have determined Diggs’ availability for the game, if the Patriots make it to that point in the NFL Playoffs. Instead, the new date is now five days after the Super Bowl.
With the NFL having determined that Diggs will remain eligible for now, the path seems clear to play in the postseason unless new evidence comes to light.
Original story:
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs he took to the field on Sunday, January 4, just days after the news broke that he was being accused assault his private chef who lives at home during an altercation in December.
with Diggs, 32, faces charges of strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery, some have questioned why he is still allowed to play, though Diggs has denied the claims.
“Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations,” Diggs’ attorney David Meier said in a statement to Us Weekly on December 30. “They are unsubstantiated, unsubstantiated and never investigated, because they did not occur. The timing and motivation for making the allegations is very clear: they are the direct result of a financial dispute between employee and employer that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Stefon hopes to establish the truth in a court of law.”
In the meantime, he could go on the NFL’s commissioner’s waiver list, which puts a player on paid administrative leave if he faces legal charges. Players on the exempt list cannot participate in practices or attend games.
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs addressed allegations that he strangled and assaulted his private chef over a financial dispute. “It’s been a couple of days. I usually talk to you all on Wednesday, but obviously it’s a different time. An emotional time,” Diggs, 32, told reporters on Friday, Jan. 2. “Taken (…)
Stefon Diggs
Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty ImagesThe NFL ones Personal conduct policy states that a player “may be placed” on the Commissioner’s Exempt List when “a player is formally charged with: (1) a felony offense; or (2) a crime of violence.”
“Formal charges may take the form of an indictment by a grand jury, the filing of charges by a prosecutor, or an indictment in criminal court,” the policy says.
An NFL spokesman said Us Weekly that the charges Diggs faces “were charges brought before a police department, not formal charges as explained in league policy.” For this reason, he is still eligible to play.
The personal conduct policy also sets out what can happen if a player is accused of violence, but “further investigation is required”. In that case, “the commissioner may place a player on the commissioner’s exempt list on a limited and temporary basis to allow the league to conduct a preliminary investigation.”
“The New England Patriots are aware of the allegations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs,” the Patriots said in a statement in December. “Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We stand by Stefon. We will continue to gather information and cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL when 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 may have decided that more evidence of Diggs’ alleged actions needs to be presented before making this move.
It may also be beneficial for the NFL to stand by as the investigation unfolds. If the league were to suspend Diggs now, it could take the case to court, making an argument that the NFL somehow failed to properly conduct the investigation.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and the former quarterback of the Patriots Tom Brady both had their suspensions overturned after being handed down by a judge.
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs used a curious food analogy to describe his team’s steady play just days after he was accused of strangling and assaulting his private chef. “We have this little saying, ‘Don’t change the macaroni and cheese,'” Diggs, 32, told reporters after the Patriots’ 38-10 win over the Miami Dolphins on (…)
In Elliott’s case, a judge ruled he didn’t get a fair hearing before an arbitrator before he was suspended six games in 2017 for a series of off-field incidents.
As for Brady, a judge determined that the NFL handed down his “flattened” suspension with “inadequate notice” and denied Brady’s team the right to examine the NFL’s legal counsel and certain investigative files.
In both cases, an appeals court eventually reinstated the suspensions and the players had to sit out.
Diggs will be arraigned on Jan. 23, two days before the AFC Championship Game. For now, it remains good to go for however long the Patriots remain in the playoffs.