The veteran wide receiver had his request to have his arraignment moved after the NFL season had ended.
A judge granted Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs' request to postpone his arraignment until February on Friday afternoon, according to a report via The Boston Globe.
The arraignment will now take place on February 13th in Dedham District Court. The original scheduled date was a month earlier, on January 23rd. This will all take place less than a week after the Super Bowl, and the NFL postseason has wrapped up.
Diggs now faces criminal charges for allegedly trying to choke a female private chef over a payment issue in December.
The wide receiver's lawyer, David Meier, released the following statement on the matter.
“Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations. They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated—because they did not occur. The timing and motivation for making the allegations are 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.”
Through his attorney, Diggs denied these allegations at the time they were announced.
As the events of this incident continue to unfold, the Patriots organization, along with Diggs' coaches and teammates, has stood behind him throughout the process.
As it is an ongoing off-field investigation that has not led to any conviction, there has been no need for the Patriots to remove Diggs from team practices or from playing in any games.
With the arraignment taking place after the season has ended, the Patriots' wide receiver will now be available for the entirety of the postseason and remain off the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List—a paid leave status for players facing unique circumstances.
“It’s been an emotional time, dealing with everything,” Diggs told reporters after practice last Friday. “It’s definitely an open case, so I can’t even say anything about it.“
Diggs welcomed a son with his girlfriend, rapper Cardi B, in November and is in the first year of his three-year, $69 million contract with the Patriots.
This story remains ongoing.