DEDHAM, Mass. (AP/Court TV) — New England Patriots star wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with an incident that happened earlier this month, police said.
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) looks on against the New York Jets during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
News of the charges emerged after a court hearing on Tuesday in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is unclear what led to the charges, which include felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery.
Diggs’ lawyer, David Meier, said in an emailed statement that Diggs “categorically denies these allegations.”
Meier said the allegations never occurred, describing them as unsubstantiated and uncorroborated.
“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,” Meier wrote.
Diggs, 32, established himself as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers during a run with Minnesota and Buffalo from 2018 to 2023, when he had six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
After a lackluster stint in Houston last year, Diggs ended up in New England, making him one of the team’s biggest offseason acquisitions. He has proven a reliable target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye and is a big reason why the team has once again clinched the AFC East title as the team heads toward the playoffs.
Off the field, Diggs recently welcomed a son with rapper Cardi B in November. In Sept., Cardi B won her own legal battle in Los Angeles when a jury found her not liable in a lawsuit brought by a former security guard who alleged she assaulted her at a doctor’s office.
