New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs addressed allegations that he strangled and assaulted his private chef alive 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, he told reporters on Friday, January 2. “I’ve been surprised by some things that have happened. But I want to be here to say sorry that I wasn’t available for these two days. It’s a different time.”
Diggs said he was still “dealing with everything,” but didn’t address the specific allegations head-on.
“It’s definitely an open case, so I can’t even say anything about it,” he continued. “I’ll be open to any questions about football, anything you want to know. I don’t want to be rude or disruptive in any way. If someone asks me a question related to (the allegations), I’ll obviously just take a look. You know me at this point.”
On Tuesday, December 30, news broke that Diggs had been charged with felony strangulation or drowning and misdemeanor assault and battery for an alleged incident at his home on Dec. 2.
Diggs’ personal chef alleged that he choked her and threw her on the bed after she confronted him about the unpaid wage claims.
The Patriots star was a full participant in practice Friday and is expected to play in New England’s regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Jan. 4.
“As far as football is concerned, I’m going to continue to be the guy I’ve been,” Diggs said Friday. “Trying to finish the season strong. It’s a good team across the road. Going in with the right mindset, I’m going to keep the same mindset. I’ve been a leader on this team. I’ve been the same person this whole time. Don’t expect any changes from me.”
Diggs, who welcomed a boy with a girlfriend cardi b in November, he said that off-field distractions “have been a thing all year.” (That same month, a paternity test found the NFL player is, too the father of a girl with model Aileen Lopera.)
“We all deal with life stuff, family stuff,” Diggs said. “It’s the stuff of the world. Being a football team is hard. You stick together, you lean on your brothers, you lean on the people you spend the most time with.”
He added: “I’ve just got to roll with the punches, trying to be as positive as possible. It’s definitely something you always have to adapt to. But I’m up for anything.”
Diggs has been the beneficiary of support from many within the Patriots organization, including the head coach Mike Vrabel.
“I would say it will not disappoint at all. These are allegations,” Vrabel, 50, told reporters Wednesday, Dec. 31, when asked about the charges against Diggs.
“We have issued a statement. We have taken the allegations very seriously,” Vrabel added. “Whatever comes of it, I think we’ll have another discussion then. But I don’t think we should jump to any conclusions right now and let the process take its toll.”
The Patriots quarterback Drake Maye too responded to the allegations against Diggs on Wednesday, saying, “Stef, man, he means a lot to this team.”
The police report alleging New England Patriots star Stefon Diggs strangled and assaulted his private chef refers to his “girlfriend,” who some assume is rapper Cardi B. After Diggs’ chef contacted police about the incident, which allegedly happened on Dec. 2, he said he “received a voicemail and text messages from a (…)
“He’s breaking his concentration before training today,” added Maye, 23. “He’s whistling me down the sideline to give him the rock. He’s encouraging young guys when they make big plays. He’s blocking down the field. He exudes the personality of one of those guys you just want to be teammates with.”
In a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, Diggs’ attorney, David Meiersaid the soccer star “categorically denies these allegations.”
“They are unsubstantiated, unsubstantiated and never investigated, because they did not occur,” Meier wrote. “The timing and motivation for making the allegations are abundantly clear: they are the direct result of a financial dispute between employees and employers that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Stefon hopes to establish the truth in a court of law.”
Diggs is currently scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 23, two days before the AFC Championship Game.