The last two days have brought word that two Patriots players are facing assault charges, but head coach Mike Vrabel is not worried that either issue will be a distraction that interferes with the team’s football business.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs faces charges felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery while defensive tackle Christian Barmore will be arraigned on February 3 for misdemeanor assault and battery on a family/household member. At a Wednesday press conference, Vrabel stressed that they are just allegations while saying he’s confident the team will be able to keep its attention on the task at hand.
“I would say not disappointing at all,” Vrabel said. “These are allegations, like you mentioned in your question. It’s things that we have to handle and every day there’s distractions, some are smaller than others. I’m confident that we’ll focus on the Dolphins, and those two individuals that you mentioned will be able to handle the ongoing legal process.”
The NFL said Wednesday that both Diggs and Barmore are eligible to play while the league reviews the cases.
Patriots Clips
The Patriots have had news emerge in each of the past two days regarding criminal cases involving a pair of their players: receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive tackle Christian Barmore.
The NFL issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon, explaining that both matters “are under review of the Personal Conduct Policy.”
“There is no change to the status of Diggs or Barmore,” the statement explains. “Both are eligible to play at this time.”
The statement also points out that placement on the Commissioner Exempt list “may be considered following formal charges in the form of an indictment by a grand jury, the filing of charges by a prosecutor, or an arraignment in a criminal court.”
Diggs is accused of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery. Barmore will be arraigned on February 3 for misdemeanor assault and battery on a family/household member.
Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore faces a charge of assault and battery on a family/household member.
Court documents, via WCVB, show that Barmore is due in court to be arraigned on February 3 on a charge stemming from an incident in August of this year. Per those documents, Barmore is accused of grabbing the phone out of the hand of a woman he was in a relationship with and throwing her to the floor when she tried to leave the house. The incident allegedly unfolded in front of the couple’s two-year-old child.
“The New England Patriots are aware of reports regarding a pending February arraignment involving Christian Barmore, which stems from an alleged domestic incident that occurred in August,” the team said in a statement. “The Patriots were made aware at the time of the incident and informed the NFL in a timely manner. The matter remains part of an ongoing legal process. We will respect that process, continue to monitor the situation closely, as we have over the past few months, and cooperate fully with the league. We will have no further comment at this time.”
The news about Barmore surfaced a day after a hearing on felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges against wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said at a Wednesday press conference that he’s not disappointed about either case and stressed that both men only face allegations. He also said that Barmore is not with the team on Wednesday because of an illness and that he has not heard anything that would affect the availability of either player for the team’s upcoming games.
Despite the supposed efforts of Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs’s lawyers to keep sealed the police report that resulted in felony “strangulation or suffocation” and misdemeanor assault and battery charges, the document has begun popping up online.
PFT has confirmed that the details in the document are the details that form the basis of the criminal case.
The incident allegedly happened on December 2. The alleged victim reported the incident on December 16.
She claims she was working for Diggs as a private chef. She contends that Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom, following an “ongoing text exchange” over money owed to the alleged victim.
Diggs allegedly became angry. He allegedly “smacked her across the face.” After that, he allegedly “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”
She claims that “she did feel like she had trouble breathing and that she felt like she could have blacked out.” She claims that, as she tried to pry his arm away, he “tightened his grip.”
She told the authorities that, because of his fame, she was reluctant to come forward and report the incident.
Initially, she did not wish to proceed with charges. On December 23, she decided to do so.
The criminal complaint was signed and filed on December 29.
Diggs, through his lawyer, has denied the allegations, blaming the situation on “an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction.”
The attorney for Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs has issued a statement in response to the charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery that Diggs faces in Dedham, Massachusetts.
The incident that led to those charges allegedly occurred on December 2, but attorney David Meier’s statement said that the allegations are unfounded and that they were made after a financial dispute with someone working for Diggs.
“Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations,” Meier said, via Mark Maske of the Washington Post. “They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur. 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.”
The Patriots also issued a statement saying Diggs denies the accusation and that the team supports him. They added that they will cooperate fully with the involved authorities in the NFL while continuing to gather information about the matter.
On Tuesday morning, news emerged of a criminal case against Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs. He faces a felony charge of “strangulation or suffocation” and a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery.
The NFL has issued the following statement on the situation: “We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club. We have no further comment at this time.”
The league could, based on the specific allegations, place Diggs on paid leave. First, the league needs to review the situation before making any decisions about whether the case merits the placement of Diggs on the Commissioner Exempt list.
Either way, the situation is unfolding at a critical time. The playoffs start next week. The Patriots will play in the wild-card round, unless they secure the No. 1 seed and the bye that comes with it.
The criminal charges against Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs won’t affect his ability to play in the 2025 postseason. The team, based on its statement in response to the news of the charges, seems to be inclined to take no action, for now.
The impediment, if any, to Diggs participating in the playoffs would come from the NFL.
The Personal Conduct Policy gives the league the ability to place a player on the Commissioner Exempt List (i.e., paid leave). From the latest edition of the policy posted by the NFL, paid leave is available under three circumstances.
“First, when a player is formally charged with: (1) a felony offense; or (2) a crime of violence, meaning that he is accused of having used physical force or a weapon to injure or threaten a person or animal, of having engaged in a sexual assault by force or against a person who was incapable of giving consent, or having engaged in other conduct that poses a genuine danger to the safety or well-being of another person. The formal charges may be in the form of an indictment by a grand jury, the filing of charges by a prosecutor, or an arraignment in a criminal court.
“Second, when an investigation leads the Commissioner to believe that a player may have violated this Policy by committing any of the conduct identified above, he may act where the circumstances and evidence warrant doing so. This decision will not reflect a finding of guilt or innocence and will not be guided by the same legal standards and considerations that would apply in a criminal trial.
“Third, in cases in which a violation relating to a crime of violence is alleged but further investigation is required, the Commissioner may place a player on the Commissioner Exempt List on a limited and temporary basis to permit the league to conduct a preliminary investigation. Based on the results of this investigation, the player may be returned to duty, be placed on the Commissioner Exempt List for a longer period or be subject to discipline.”
The league has broad discretion to use, or not use, paid leave. Without knowing more about the accusations, it’s impossible to even begin to assess whether the league would decide that the current situation justifies removing Diggs from the field.
As reported by Boston25News.com, Diggs’s lawyers hope to keep sealed the police report from the alleged December 2 incident. The NFL’s first order of business should be to demand that Diggs share the document with NFL investigators, so that the process of assessing the situation can begin.
Although it’s a non-football matter, the league’s construction and implementation of an in-house justice system that includes paid leave and potential unpaid suspensions (after the conclusion of all criminal proceedings)makes it a competitive issue. The Patriots and the teams they’ll be facing in the playoffs will want to be sure that the paid leave provision of the policy is applied fairly, accurately, and in a way that shows consistency with past cases.
A special season for the New England Patriots has encountered an unexpected complication.
Frank O’Laughlin of Boston25News.com reports that receiver Stefon Diggs “felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery.” The incident allegedly happened on December 2, one day after the Patriots’ Monday night win over the Giants.
Digss’s lawyers appeared in court on Tuesday. They are attempting to keep the police report sealed.
While that may prevent the public from learning the details, the NFL will be demanding information. Depending on the nature and severity of the specific, Diggs could be placed on the Commissioner Exempt List.
Said the Patriots in a statement to PFT: “The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs. Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon. 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.”
In his first season with the Patriots, Diggs has 82 catches for 970 yards and four touchdowns.
For much of the season, some have asked why 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t getting more traction for coach of the year. He now is.
Although Patriots coach Mike Vrabel remains the clear betting favorite at -140, Shanahan has moved to +180.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald is next on the list, at +700. He’s followed by Jaguars coach Liam Coen at +1200. Bears coach Ben Johnson and Broncos coach Sean Payton are +4000.
Shanahan has the 49ers on the brink of the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Beat Seattle on Saturday night, and the 49ers will get the conference’s only bye week, with two games to go in order to earn a spot in Super Bowl LX — to be played in their home stadium.
The 49ers are one win away from No. 1 despite a rash of injuries that has robbed the roster of some of its best players. Defensive end Nick Bosa suffered a torn ACL in Week 3. Linebacker Fred Warner sustained a dislocated ankle in Week 6. Tight end George Kittle has missed six games with hamstring and ankle injuries. Quarterback Brock Purdy has played in only eight of 16 games, due to turf toe.
And yet the 49ers are 12-4, with one more win to go to finish with the best record in the NFC.
The ballots will be cast next week, after the dust settles on the regular season. If the 49ers finish with the top seed in the NFC and the Patriots don’t land at No. 1 in the AFC, that’ll be a factor in the voting.
The problem for Shanahan is that the award generally goes to the coach whose team most exceeded low expectations at the outset of the season. The 49ers were the preseason betting favorites to win the division. But the road was rocky, and Shanahan has led the team through it.
That should count for something when determining the coach of the year award.
The 2025 NFL regular season comes to an end on Sunday, and two playoff berths are still to be determined, with the AFC North and NFC South on the line. Also still up for grabs are most of the seeds, including the No. 1 seed in both the AFC and NFC. The full Week 18 Playoff Scenarios distributed by the NFL are below:
AFC
CLINCHED:
Denver Broncos (13-3) – AFC West
New England Patriots (13-3) – AFC East
Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) – playoff berth
Buffalo Bills (11-5) – playoff berth
Houston Texans (11-5) – playoff berth
Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) – playoff berth
SCENARIOS:
Denver Broncos (13-3) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (11-5); Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
Denver clinches the AFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
DEN win OR
DEN tie + NE loss or tie OR
NE loss + JAX loss or tie
New England Patriots (13-3) vs. Miami (7-9); Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX
New England clinches the AFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
NE win + DEN loss or tie OR
NE tie + DEN loss
Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) vs. Tennessee (3-13); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX
Jacksonville clinches AFC South division title and the AFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
JAX win + DEN loss + NE loss
Jacksonville clinches AFC South division title with:
JAX win or tie OR
HOU loss or tie
Houston Texans (11-5) vs. Indianapolis (8-8); Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Houston clinches AFC South division title with:
HOU win + JAX loss
Baltimore Ravens (8-8) at Pittsburgh (9-7); Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
Baltimore clinches AFC North division title with:
BAL win
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) vs. Baltimore (8-8); Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
Pittsburgh clinches AFC North division title with:
PIT win or tie
NFC
CLINCHED:
Seattle Seahawks (13-3) – playoff berth
San Francisco 49ers (12-4) – playoff berth
Chicago Bears (11-5) – NFC North
Los Angeles Rams (11-5) – playoff berth
Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) – NFC East
Green Bay Packers (9-6-1) – playoff berth
San Francisco 49ers (12-4) vs. Seattle (13-3); Saturday night, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
San Francisco clinches NFC West division title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
SF win
Seattle Seahawks (13-3) at San Francisco (12-4); Saturday night, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Seattle clinches NFC West division title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, lone first-round bye and home-field advantage with:
SEA win or tie
Carolina Panthers (8-8) at Tampa Bay (7-9); Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Carolina clinches NFC South division title with:
CAR win or tie OR
ATL win
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) vs. Carolina (8-8); Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
Tampa Bay clinches NFC South division title with:
TB win + ATL loss or tie
