Stefon Diggs stirred the pot just before his court appearance.
He showed up in court on Friday, pleading not guilty to allegations of assaulting and strangling his personal chef. This was after a last-minute decision to hire a new attorney right before his hearing, as reported.
A pretrial hearing is set for April 1, according to official sources.
His new legal team includes Silva Kettlewell and Sara Silva from Pignatelli LLP.
Michael DiStefano is expected to be the Patriots’ top receiver now.
After the hearing, Diggs’ attorney, Mitchell Schuster, defended his client, insisting on his innocence. He stated, “He is completely innocent of the false allegations made against him. I believe that once the facts emerge, he will be fully exonerated.”
The accusations originated from a December incident where the chef allegedly confronted Diggs about unpaid wages while at his residence, claiming he denied her payment.
According to the chef, Diggs slapped her and attempted to strangle her by placing his elbow around her neck.
The police report indicates that she struggled to breathe and feared passing out as he tightened his grip when she tried to pull away. She also alleged that he threw her onto the bed and exited the room.
Having worked for Diggs since July, the chef left after this confrontation.
She reported the incident to law enforcement on December 16, about two weeks after it happened, and officially filed charges on December 23.
There was also a claim that one of Diggs’ assistants suggested paying her to sign a non-disclosure agreement. At one point, Diggs’ girlfriend even reached out to her, asking her not to pursue charges.
Diggs has chosen not to speak publicly about the situation due to the ongoing investigation. His former attorney, David Meyer, spoke on his behalf, stating, “Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations. They are baseless and uninvestigated.”
This wasn’t Diggs’ first brush with controversy; there was a sexual assault allegation made in November, alongside other issues that surfaced over the summer.
Diggs recently completed his 11th NFL season and is in the first year of a three-year contract with New England. He reached over 1,000 receiving yards for the seventh time in his career during the 2025 season, scoring four touchdowns.
However, the recent arraignment may throw a wrench in his career trajectory, and changing lawyers at the last minute might impact the case’s outcome.
