Diggs’s lawyer, longtime defense attorney David Meier, told the Globe that Diggs denies the allegations.
“They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur,” he said. “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 report filed in court said the woman told Dedham officers on Dec. 16 that Diggs had allegedly assaulted her on Dec. 2 while she was working as a private chef at an address on Schoolmaster Lane.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
The woman initially did not disclose that the alleged perpetrator was Diggs but later identified him, the report said.
The woman said Diggs had entered her “unlocked bedroom” at the Dedham address amid an ongoing text dispute over money owed to her, the filing said. She told police he allegedly “smacked her across the face” as they began discussing payment.
He then allegedly “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck,” and she feared she might black out, the report said.
Diggs allegedly tightened his grip as she tried to pry his arm away, the woman told police, adding that he allegedly threw her onto the bed and said words to the effect of, “thought so.”
The woman told Diggs she hadn’t been paid, and he responded by saying “lies” before leaving the room, the report said.
“Due to his fame, she was very hesitant to come forward with this,” police said.
The woman told police she’d been retained as Diggs’s chef in July, and that she was supposed to work through the football season with weekly wire payments.
She said she had been getting paid monthly, not weekly per the agreement, and she believes she’s still owed for a month’s pay, according to the report.
Court documents also included text messages that she allegedly exchanged with Diggs.
In a statement, the Patriots stood behind Diggs but declined to comment further on the allegations.
“We support Stefon,” the team said. “We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary.”
In a statement to the Globe, the NFL said the league was “aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club. We have no further comment at this time.”
The first hearing on the case came Tuesday and lasted less than 10 minutes. Diggs did not appear in court, and his lawyers, from the well-known Boston firm Todd & Weld, participated remotely.
An arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 23.
Following the brief hearing, Judge Jeanmarie Carroll took a motion to impound the case documents under advisement, and the defense said they’re working on a monetary resolution to the incident.
Michael R. DiStefano, a lawyer for Diggs, told the judge there would be “substantial risk of widespread publicity” that could taint the case without the impoundment, “given the nature of the situation and the individuals involved.”
Though the prosecution did not oppose impoundment, the judge pushed back.
“There is an interest in some transparency in the process here,” Carroll said. The police report was later released.
The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year contract in March worth up to $69 million. He’s had a highly productive season for a receiver coming off a torn ACL, with 82 catches for 970 yards and four touchdowns.
Over the course of his 11-year NFL career, Diggs has had stints in Minnesota, Buffalo, and Houston. During his first year in New England, he’s received high marks from teammates for his play and locker room presence.
During the team’s voluntary portion of the offseason program, Diggs made headlines for a video that captured him on a boat with an unidentified pink substance. An NFL spokesperson declined comment, while the Patriots handled the matter internally.
The Patriots have one game left in the regular season: Sunday’s matchup at Gillette Stadium against the Dolphins. It’s unclear if Diggs will be available for the game.
New England holds the No. 2 seed in the NFL playoffs, which begin next week. Diggs contributed 101 receiving yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over the Jets to help the Patriots win the AFC East title for the first time since 2019.
Diggs has also attracted notice for his romantic attachment to the recording artist Cardi B, with whom he shares a child.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report, and Nicole Yang of the Globe Staff contributed.
Sean Cotter can be reached at sean.cotter@globe.com. Follow him @cotterreporter. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.