A felony strangulation charge against an NFL star. A woman who says she worked as his private chef. A dispute over money that allegedly turned violent behind closed doors.
Stefon Diggs, the New England Patriots' $69 million wide receiver, is now facing serious criminal charges in Massachusetts. And as of this afternoon, we know exactly what the alleged victim told police.
The Allegations
According to the Dedham Police report released today, a woman came to the station on December 16 to report an incident from two weeks earlier. She told Officer Kenneth Ellis she'd been working as Diggs' private chef since July and was owed a month's pay.
On December 2, the day after the Patriots beat the Giants on Monday Night Football, she says Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom while they were texting about the money dispute. What happened next, according to her statement, escalated quickly.
She alleges Diggs slapped her across the face. When she tried to push him away, she says he got behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck in a chokehold. She told police she had trouble breathing and feared she might black out. When she tried to pry his arm away, she says he tightened his grip.
He allegedly threw her onto the bed, said "thought so," and when she insisted she hadn't been paid, he responded "lies" and walked out.
The Pattern
What stands out in this police report isn't just the allegations of violence. It's what allegedly happened after.
The woman says she left her position and returned a week later to get her belongings. At that point, she was told by Diggs' assistant that she'd be paid only if she signed a non-disclosure agreement. She refused.
Then, on December 20, she told police she received a voicemail and text messages from someone she believed to be Diggs' girlfriend. The messages reportedly said something like, "you don't need to do all this. It's not that big of a deal."
Diggs is currently in a relationship with rapper Cardi B. They just had a baby in November. The police report doesn't identify who sent those messages, but the timing raises questions about who knew what and when.
The Defense
Diggs' legal team isn't staying quiet. Attorney David Meier issued a statement calling the allegations "unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur."
His explanation? This is about money.
"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."
At today's court hearing, Diggs' attorneys tried to get the police report sealed. The judge denied it, noting "there is an interest in some transparency in the process here." They also disclosed that Diggs has made a financial offer to settle with the alleged victim.
The Patriots, for their part, are standing behind their receiver: "We support Stefon."
What Happens Next
Diggs is scheduled to be arraigned on January 23, 2026. That's two days before the AFC Championship Game. His lawyers are asking to push the arraignment to March.
He faces one felony charge of strangulation or suffocation and one misdemeanor charge of assault and battery. Strangulation is taken seriously by prosecutors because it's considered a predictor of escalation in violence. It carries significant prison time if convicted.
The NFL says it's "aware of the matter" but has no further comment.
The Full Police Report
Below is the complete police narrative filed by Officer Kenneth J. Ellis of the Dedham Police Department. Names have been redacted to protect the alleged victim's identity.
On 12/16/2025, while assigned to the front desk [name redacted] entered the station to report a past incident. [victim] appeared emotional and was initially hesitant to give a statement. She asked for a female officer. I checked the scheduling sheets and saw that we did not have a female officer on until 4pm. I let [victim] know this and I told her that I'd give her a few minutes to think about things and that I understood if she was uncomfortable speaking to me. After a few minutes, she said that she would give the report to me. I brought her into the interview room off of the lobby and we began to speak. After taking down her information, I asked her to tell me in her own words what happened.
She was hesitant to reveal a suspect initially, but I told her that I could take a statement and we could talk about that later. She went on to say that on 12/2/2025, she was working as a private chef at 7 Schoolmaster Lane in Dedham. She said that on this date, the male that she worked for entered her unlocked bedroom. They had been having an ongoing text exchange over money owed to [her]. She said that they began to discuss this, which apparently angered the male. She alleges that the male then smacked her across the face. She said that she tried to push him away. The male then tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck. She said that he was behind her with his arm wrapped around her. She said that she did feel like she had trouble breathing and that she felt like she could have blacked out. She said that as she tried to pry his arm away, he tightened his grip. At that point, the male threw her onto the bed. He said something to the effect of "Thought so". And then she told him that she still hasn't been paid. At that point, the male said "Lies" and walked out of the room. She explained to me that he needs to sign off on payments in order for her to be paid, which is why she confronted him directly. I asked her if she had documented any injuries when this occurred. She said that she had some redness on her upper chest area but did not take photos.
At this point in the conversation, [victim] revealed that the male's name was DIGGS, Stefon. DIGGS currently plays for the New England Patriots of the NFL. Due to his fame, she was very hesitant to come forward with this.
I inquired about the details of her employment, so I could understand the relationship. She said that she began as the private chef on or around 7/20/2025 and that her employment was supposed to go through the end of the NFL football season. She said that she is normally paid by wire transfer and the initial agreement was for weekly pay. She said that since she has been working there, she has been getting paid monthly instead. As of now, she said that she still believes she is owed a month's pay. In early November, she was told by DIGGS that her employment was not needed for the week of 11/7-11/14. This meant she would also have to vacate her room for a week because he was having house guests. He told her to go home, and she said he did not provide any financial assistance for a flight to [redacted]. That is where she was going to stay with a friend. She said that since she did not ask to be sent home for a week, she should still be paid her salary. She said that is standard in this type of work arrangement, unless the employee asks for the time off.
After the alleged assault on 12/2/2025, [victim] left her position and left the residence to stay with a friend in [redacted]. She said that on 12/9/2025, she returned to the house to get her property. At that point, she texted with DIGGS who told her to take up the monetary sum with his assistant. She spoke to [name removed] from Finance who explained that DIGGS had requested a signed non-disclosure agreement from [victim] before she could be paid. [Victim] did not sign any such document. I told [victim] that we could proceed with an investigation and file charges, but she said that she did not want any charges filed at this time. I told her that as the victim, an officer would be following up, regardless. I also let her know that if her mind changed, we could certainly go ahead with further investigation and charges. I also explained the process to her in regard to obtaining a restraining order. She said that she did not wish to seek one. She said that she just wanted to go home and had no intentions of returning. [Victim] was also going to e-mail me any screenshots related to this incident at her convenience. I also sent her the DV Risk Assessment Form and Strangulation/Suffocation form via email. These were returned to me and added into the incident.
The screenshots were sent to me and added to the incident. These came from a different number than initially provided. When I inquired about this discrepancy, [victim] identified this as a number where she had communicated with DIGGS in the past. On 12/20/2025 at around 9:45am, I spoke to [victim] over the phone. We discussed how she would like to proceed. As of this date, she still wanted to hold off on any criminal charges being filed. She asked that I reach out to DIGGS and ask him not to contact her anymore. She said that earlier in the week she received a voice mail and text messages from a female that she believed to be DIGGS girlfriend. Based on these messages, [victim] believed that DIGGS somehow knew the police were contacted. The messages stated something to the effect of "you don't need to do all this. It's not that big of a deal". I assured [victim] that DIGGS had not been contacted yet by any members of the Dedham Police. In an attempt to fulfill [victim's] request to contact DIGGS, at 10:10am on 12/20, I contacted DIGGS at the number provided to me by [victim]. The call went straight to voice mail. I identified myself and asked for a call back. On 12/22 at around 1:30pm, I attempted to contact DIGGS for a second time. It also went straight to voice mail, and I left a second message. I notified [victim] and she also sent me an e-mail for a woman that handles DIGGS' business interests. If I have not received a call back by 12/23, I will reach out to her. In the meantime, I received an e-mail and voice mail from [victim] (2:12pm and 2:24pm on 12/22). The voice mail expressed interest in going ahead with criminal charges. I called her twice at around 9:25am on 12/23 and the number went to voice mail both times. I left a voice mail after the second call.
At approximately 9:45am on 12/23, I spoke to [victim]. She let me know that she had changed her mind from a few days ago and wanted me to go ahead with filing criminal charges in this case. I will be applying for a criminal complaint against DIGGS based on [victim's] statement to me on 12/16/2025. Based on her statement, I will be applying for a criminal complaint from Dedham District Court with the following charges: Ch. 265 s. 13/A - Assault & Battery and Ch. 265 s. 15/D - Strangulation or Suffocation.
My Take
I'm not here to convict anyone before trial. Stefon Diggs is entitled to the presumption of innocence. He says this didn't happen. She says it did. A jury may eventually sort that out.
But here's what I do know: Strangulation allegations are not minor. Research shows non-fatal strangulation is one of the most significant predictors of future homicide in domestic violence cases. When someone says they couldn't breathe and feared they might black out, that's a claim that demands serious investigation.
The attempted NDA after the alleged incident. The alleged messages telling her not to make a big deal out of it. The motion to seal the police report. The financial settlement offer. None of that proves guilt. But all of it tells you this situation is far more complicated than a simple "he said, she said."
We'll be watching this case closely. Because fame and a $69 million contract don't exempt anyone from accountability. And a woman who comes forward despite being "very hesitant due to his fame" deserves to have her claims examined in the light of day, not buried in sealed documents.
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