The Patriots wide receiver appeared in a Dedham, Massachusetts, courtroom on Friday after his arraignment was postponed last month.
New England Patriots star wide receiver Stefon Diggs appeared before a judge on Friday morning to face charges of strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery against him.
Diggs pleaded not guilty at an arraignment that was postponed by a Massachusetts judge last month.
The charges against Diggs stem from an alleged altercation between the Patriots player and a personal chef over being properly compensated that dates back to December.
Diggs left the courtroom without paying any bail, and the whole process apparently lasted no longer than three minutes. The judge ordered Diggs to stay away from his accuser and is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on April 1st.
According to a Dedham police report, Diggs' personal chef had reported the incident on December 16th, two weeks after the alleged incident. She was apparently hired by Diggs as his personal chef and allowed to stay in a room at his house. Investigators were told that the incident was over money.
Diggs' attorney, David Meier, said back in December that his client "categorically denies these allegations." According to the Boston Globe, Meier and another attorney on the Diggs case have withdrawn from the case, and the Patriots player is now being represented by attorney Sara Silva.
Diggs spoke to the media a few weeks after the alleged incident became public knowledge and said it was a "very emotional time" and that he could not say anything more about the case.
The New England Patriots would issue a statement not long after the reports became public, stating that the team was behind their 2025 free-agent signee by saying, "We support Stefon."
The arraignment for this matter was originally scheduled for January 23rd, which was two days before the AFC Championship Game, which ended up taking place in Denver, Colorado, as the Patriots went on the road to play the Broncos that week.
The arraignment was moved to February 13th, which was five days after the Patriots lost Super Bowl LX to the Seattle Seahawks.
This story is ongoing as the courtroom proceedings develop.