Stefon Diggs says assault never happened as trial begins
DEDHAM, Mass. — The assault trial of Stephen Diggs started Monday with a prosecutor describing how his non-public chef was slapped and put in a headlock whereas attorneys for the previous New England Patriots broad receiver insisted he was harmless and that the violent assault never happened.
The four-time Pro Bowl wideout has pleaded not guilty to a legal strangulation cost and a misdemeanor assault and battery cost stemming from the December incident. A jury was chosen earlier Monday and obtained its directions.
The 33-year-old Diggs declined to talk to reporters as he arrived at Norfolk County District Court in Dedham, a Boston suburb.
Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Drew Virtue stated the chef, Mila Adams, would testify how Diggs had entered her bed room, slapped her and put her in a headlock that made respiration troublesome earlier than throwing her on the mattress.
“It’s your job to determine what happened on Dec. 2,” Virtue informed the jury in his opening assertion.
Diggs’ legal professional, Andrew Kettlewell, insisted that his consumer did nothing mistaken and that he never attacked his chef. Kettlewell stated that nobody in the home on the time of the alleged assault noticed or heard something out of the unusual and there was no proof of the assault. There aren’t any medical information nor images or video documenting the assault.
“The assault that the Commonwealth described in their opening statement never happened. It didn’t happen,” Kettlewell stated.
Instead, Kettlewell described a brewing dispute between Adams and members of Diggs’ entourage that got here to a head on Dec. 2 when Adams realized she wouldn’t be a part of a week-long journey the wideout was taking to Miami. He additionally alleged that Adams calls for for cash elevated within the weeks after she filed a police report and urged the jury to not be influenced by the truth that Diggs was a wealthy soccer participant.
“Just like any other person in this country rich or poor, Mr. Diggs sits here an innocent man and any preconceptions or feelings you have about athletes, wealth or anything else has to be put aside and not let interfere with the oath you just took as jurors” Kettlewell stated.
Adams took the stand briefly earlier than the trial broke for lunch.
According to courtroom information, the chef informed officers that she and Diggs had argued about cash he owed her for work. During the Dec. 2 encounter at her house in Dedham, Massachusetts, she stated, he “smacked her across the face” after which “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck,” leaving her feeling wanting breath. She informed officers she had hassle respiration and felt she might have been blacked out.
Diggs signed a three-year, $69 million contract with New England final 12 months and was a key goal for quarterback Drake Maye through the Patriots’ AFC East title run. Before becoming a member of the Patriots, Diggs was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 and performed for the Buffalo Bills earlier than a quick stint with the Houston Texans in 2024.
Diggs’ 1,000-yard season with the Patriots marked the seventh of his profession. It helped full a profitable profession revival after a season-ending knee damage derailed what turned out to be a one-year stick with the Texans in 2024.
Diggs, who led the staff with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards receiving with 4 touchdowns in his solely season with the Patriots, was launched by the staff in March. Diggs posted a goodbye on social media, thanking the Patriots for the season and saying: “We family forever.”
Diggs has but to signal with one other staff.