NFL Player Not Guilty in Assault Case
This week, during a testimony, a judge instructed the accuser of an NFL player to halt her narrative. Stefon Diggs, a former wide receiver for the New England Patriots, has been found not guilty of assault and battery charges that were brought against him by his former personal chef.
The judge, Jean-Marie Carroll, made it clear to Jamila Adams that her testimony was not a platform to express herself or sway the recounting of events. She stated, “This is not your opportunity to interject yourself.” Adams struggled to directly answer questions and was repeatedly reminded of the courtroom’s expectations.
Adams alleged that Diggs punched her and choked her during an incident on December 2 at her home in Dedham, Massachusetts. However, her statements to local authorities were inconsistent. In fact, she eventually acknowledged to the police that she left out certain details, fearing how they might be interpreted.
Additionally, a key witness, Adams’ friend Shea Charles, testified that she was on a video call with Adams during the alleged incident. Charles noted that there was no visible injury to Adams’ neck at that time, and Adams did not seem emotional during their conversation.
Surveillance footage shown by the defense depicted the two women together later that evening, with no apparent injuries. The videos were recorded casually as they watched movies and had drinks.
Charles mentioned that Adams intended to sue Diggs for unpaid wages and harsh conditions at work, but claimed she also planned to “blog” about the situation. Adams refuted this assertion.
Moreover, Adams alleged that Diggs offered her $100,000 to retract her statements, but there were inconsistencies regarding whether third parties had asked Diggs to pay $5.5 million for her.
These claims contributed to the judge dismissing multiple parts of her testimony. After two days, the jury took just 90 minutes to arrive at a not guilty verdict.
Following the trial, Diggs’ attorney, Mitchell Schuster, criticized the lawsuit as a waste of resources, insisting there was never any assault. As for Diggs, his team expressed hope that he could secure a position with another NFL team after being released from the Patriots, where he had a three-year contract worth $63.5 million.
