Joe Yates
Stefon Diggs has spoken out for the first time as the NFL star faces felony charges against a former employee.
The New England Patriots wide receiver has been charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanour assault and battery, and shocking text messages he is alleged to have sent have since been released by his accuser.
The charges were filed on Monday (December 29) in Dedham District Court, Massachusetts, and relate to an alleged incident said to have taken place on December 2. Diggs is due to be arraigned on January 23.
In a statement issued to E! News on Tuesday, Diggs’ lawyer David Meier strongly denied the allegations, insisting they are entirely false.
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He stated: "Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations," Meier said. "They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated - because they did not occur.
"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. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law."
The New England Patriots have also publicly backed the 32-year-old. In a statement to NBC Sports, the NFL team said: "The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs. Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon."
The club added that it will continue to gather information and cooperate with authorities and the NFL, while declining to comment further due to the ongoing nature of the case.
The shocking text messages that have since been made public allege that a dispute occurred between the athlete and a private chef he had hired.
The messages were logged in an incident report filed by the Dedham Police Department, and later obtained by People, outlining allegations that he assaulted his former chef.
The conversation reportedly kicked off with a message she sent him that read: "You will [be] paying me out for the season & the money you said you would give me for my business. wasted my f***ing time being here because you got a f***ing circus going on. I’m out of your life."
She claimed Diggs fired back with a blunt response, allegedly replying: "I won’t be paying you s***."
Before following up with: "F*** I look like paying you and paying another xhef [sic]."
Another text attributed to Diggs later added: "I don't got to do a mf thing."
It remains unclear exactly when these texts were sent in relation to the alleged altercation between Diggs and the chef.
The report also states the chef sent the texts to police after reporting the incident on December 16 - about two weeks later.
She alleged tensions rose over unpaid wages, claiming Diggs became 'angered', 'smacked her across the face', and 'tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow', before allegedly throwing her on the bed and saying, 'thought so'.
The charges against Diggs come shortly after he welcomed his first child with 'Bodak Yellow' rapper Cardi B. She also shares three kids with her ex, Offset.
More to follow.