Stefon Diggs is scheduled to return to court on April 1 for a pre-trial hearing. Bob Kupbens / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Feb. 13, 2026Updated 11:47 am EST
Stefon Diggs pleaded not guilty to felony charges of strangulation or suffocation during an arraignment hearing on Friday morning at Dedham (Mass.) District Court, according to the court clerk.
The charges stem from an alleged Dec. 2 incident involving his private chef. The New England Patriots wide receiver “categorically denies these allegations,” attorney David Meier said in a statement last month. “They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur.”
The arraignment had been postponed to allow Diggs to play in the Super Bowl.
Diggs is scheduled to return to court on April 1 for a pre-trial hearing.
A female private chef alleges, according to an incident report obtained by The Athletic, that Diggs slapped and choked her on Dec. 2. The chef says that the two had a dispute about payments and that Diggs “smacked her across the face.” She said she also tried to push him away, according to the police report.
According to the report, Diggs then “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.” The woman said she had trouble breathing and “felt like she could have blacked out.”
Diggs, 32, just completed his first season with the Patriots. He had 85 catches for 1,013 yards in the regular season, but it’s not clear yet whether Diggs will return to the Pats for the 2026 season. The Patriots could save $18.5 million against the salary cap if they cut Diggs.
Feb 13, 2026
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