Stefon Diggs walked out of a Massachusetts courtroom Tuesday cleared of criminal charges. A jury found the former New England Patriots wide receiver not guilty of both strangulation and assault and battery charges tied to an alleged attack on his live-in chef, Jamila Adams, at his Dedham home on Dec. 2, NBC News reports. Prosecutors had accused Diggs of slapping and choking Adams; jurors rejected those claims after deliberation, acquitting him of the felony and misdemeanor counts. During closing arguments, defense attorney Andrew Kettlewell said prosecutors had failed to present "a single shred of credible evidence" that an assault occurred, reports the AP.
Kettlewell said Adams had made the accusation for "leverage and humiliate and to punish" Diggs. Defense lawyers questioned Adams' credibility, noting that she had made financial demands. Prosecutors said her behavior should be seen in the context of her complicated relationship with Diggs, describing him as a "sometimes lover, a boss, landlord," per the AP.
- "Domestic violence is a very, very serious issue in this country and it's disconcerting when people use it as a sword and manufacture claims in an attempt to extract money," defense attorney Mitchell Shuster said after the verdict, per USA Today. "I believe the jury saw through that today and we are very, very pleased with this result."
The verdict comes months after the Patriots cut ties with Diggs in March, despite a statistically strong 2025 season in which he logged 85 receptions and 1,013 yards while helping the team capture the AFC title. "Our hope is that this is now behind him, that he will get signed by a team," Shuster said. "Any team that signs him will be lucky to have him."
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