New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was arrested on charges that include assault and battery, strangulation, and cocaine possession. Police in Braintree, Massachusetts announced Peppers’ arrest on Monday after they received a call early Saturday morning saying that there was an altercation between two people. The Patriots player was arraigned in Quincy District Court on Monday.
The Incident
The woman involved said that Peppers hit her, choked her “at least six times”, as well as took off her clothes, and left her outside. This happened at around 4 a.m. on Saturday in Braintree. In addition, the police said that he shoved her to the ground, shoved her head into a wall, and strangled her with his hands. The woman also accused Peppers of pushing her down the stairs. She declined to go to the hospital. Police treated injuries to her face and knees at the apartment. The woman said that she and the Patriots player had been dating on and off for about three years.
Peppers answered when police knocked on his door. He nodded and said, “I know what is going on.” He was arrested without incident. He later told officers that he told the woman to leave his apartment many times and denied putting his hands on her. Police also found a plastic bag of white powder in his wallet. The substance later tested positive for cocaine.
Jabrill Peppers In Court
After being arrested on Saturday, Peppers posted $2,500 bail and was released. When arraigned in court on Monday, Peppers pleaded not guilty. A judge ordered him to stay away from the woman. His lawyer Marc Brofsky cast doubt on her allegations, telling reporters after the arraignment,
“What I said in the courtroom I’ll repeat. We have evidence that completely contradicts the alleged victim’s story. I expect my client to be fully exonerated.”
The next hearing in this case is scheduled to be on November 22. Peppers is not required to be there and will not attend. When exiting the courthouse, he declined to comment to reporters.
The Patriots’ Response
The Patriots put out a brief statement after their player’s arrest was announced on Monday,
“We are aware of an incident involving Jabrill Peppers over the weekend in which the police are currently investigating. We will have no further comment at this time.”
When asked about the situation with one of their starting safeties, head coach Jerod Mayo said,
“We informed the NFL and we’re still gathering information. I know the team put out a statement earlier today,” Mayo said. “I’m not sure how the league and how we are going to handle that going forward but we should have some more information over the next few days.”
Coach Mayo told reporters that the Patriots’ safety is currently still allowed to be with the team, saying that the team doesn’t have enough information to take any disciplinary action yet. Jabrill Peppers didn’t play in the Patriots’ latest game against the Dolphins because of a shoulder injury. The safety was recently named a captain and signed a three-year, $24 million contract extension in July. If he misses significant time due to this incident, New England will be without one of their key defensive players.
