Diggs\u2019s lawyer, longtime defense attorney David Meier, told the Globe that Diggs denies the allegations. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated \u2014 because they did not occur,” he said. \u201cThe 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\u2019s satisfaction. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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The woman initially did not disclose that the alleged perpetrator was Diggs but later identified him, the report said. <\/p>\n
The woman said Diggs had entered her \u201cunlocked bedroom\u201d at the Dedham address amid an ongoing text dispute over money owed to her, the filing said. She told police he allegedly \u201csmacked her across the face\u201d as they began discussing payment.<\/p>\n
He then allegedly \u201ctried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck,\u201d and she feared she might black out, the report said. <\/p>\n
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, \u201cthought so.\u201d <\/p>\n
The woman told Diggs she hadn\u2019t been paid, and he responded by saying \u201clies\u201d before leaving the room, the report said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to his fame, she was very hesitant to come forward with this,\u201d police said. <\/p>\n
The woman told police she\u2019d been retained as Diggs\u2019s chef in July, and that she was supposed to work through the football season with weekly wire payments. <\/p>\n
She said she had been getting paid monthly, not weekly per the agreement, and she believes she\u2019s still owed for a month\u2019s pay, according to the report. <\/b><\/p>\n
Court documents also included text messages that she allegedly exchanged with Diggs. <\/p>\n
In a statement, the Patriots stood behind Diggs but declined to comment further on the allegations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe support Stefon,\u201d the team said. \u201cWe will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement to the Globe, the NFL said the league was \u201caware of the matter and have been in contact with the club. We have no further comment at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
An arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 23.<\/p>\n
Following the brief hearing, Judge Jeanmarie Carroll took a motion to impound the case documents under advisement, and the defense said they\u2019re working on a monetary resolution to the incident. <\/p>\n
Michael R. DiStefano, a lawyer for Diggs, told the judge there would be \u201csubstantial risk of widespread publicity\u201d that could taint the case without the impoundment, \u201cgiven the nature of the situation and the individuals involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the prosecution did not oppose impoundment, the judge pushed back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an interest in some transparency in the process here,\u201d Carroll said. The police report was later released.<\/p>\n
The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year contract in March worth up to $69 million.<\/a> He\u2019s had a highly productive season for a receiver coming off a torn ACL<\/a>, with 82 catches for 970 yards and four touchdowns. <\/p>\n Over the course of his 11-year NFL<\/a> career, Diggs<\/a> has had stints in Minnesota, Buffalo, and Houston. During his first year in New England, he\u2019s received high marks from teammates for his play and locker room presence.<\/p>\n During the team\u2019s voluntary portion of the offseason program, Diggs made headlines for a video that captured him on a boat with an unidentified pink substance<\/a>. An NFL spokesperson declined comment, while the Patriots handled the matter internally<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Patriots have one game left in the regular season: Sunday\u2019s matchup at Gillette Stadium against the Dolphins. It\u2019s unclear if Diggs will be available for the game.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s win over the Jets to help the Patriots win the AFC East title for the first time since 2019.<\/p>\n Diggs has also attracted notice for his romantic attachment to the recording artist Cardi B,<\/a> with whom he shares a child. <\/p>\n This is a developing story and will be updated.<\/p>\n Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report, and Nicole Yang of the Globe Staff contributed.<\/p>\n Sean Cotter can be reached at sean.cotter@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @cotterreporter<\/a>. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n