Peppers takes the stand in his own defense.

New England Patriots captain Jabrill Peppers on pleads guilty to cocaine possession before his domestic assault case in Quincy District Court after an October 4, 2024 incident in Braintree. Thursday, January 23, 2025

Greg Derr/ The Patriot Ledger Pool

Patriots S Jabrill Peppers acquitted of assault, battery

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was acquitted in his assault and battery trial on Friday in Boston.

Peppers was accused of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and testified in the trial Thursday and Friday. He said on the stand that his accuser had fabricated her claims and claimed “she was trying to do all this to mess up my career.”

A woman had alleged Peppers grabbed her, slammed her against a wall and choked her at an apartment in Braintree, Mass. Part of Peppers’ defense involved showing video from the night of the incident showing him asking her repeatedly to leave his home.

The accuser was cross-examined on Thursday, when the extent of her injuries was questioned. She had also filed a civil suit seeking as much as $9.5 million from Peppers, which Peppers’ attorney Marc Brofsky brought back up in court.

The jury revealed their verdict of not guilty on Friday.

“I had to be quiet for three months,” Peppers told reporters in a video posted by WCVB outside the courthouse. “This was all I could think about. This was the first time in my life where football wasn’t the most important thing on my mind. I had to just sit through everybody pouring dirt on my name. Everybody, for the most part, actually thinking that I did these things. But, to me, crimes against children and women are the most egregious things that you could do. And to be accused of that, it just hurt.”

Peppers pled guilty to possession of cocaine on Thursday ahead of the domestic violence trial. Per the Boston Globe, that charge was “continued without finding” and will be dropped if he remains out of trouble for the next four months.

Peppers, 29, missed seven games in the 2024 season while on the commissioner’s exempt list. He returned in December and played two games before multiple injuries sidelined him. The starting safety appeared in just six games in his eighth NFL season.

–Field Level Media

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers appears in Quincy District Court for his arraignment on Monday, Oct. 7. Peppers was arrested at his Braintree apartment by police responding to a domestic dispute call.

Trial for Patriots S Jabrill Peppers set for January

The criminal trial for New England safety Jabrill Peppers, whose charges include both domestic violence and drug possession, is scheduled for Jan. 22.

Peppers initially pleaded not guilty in Quincy (Mass.) District Court on Oct. 7 after he was arrested on charges of strangulation or suffocation, assault and battery on a family or household member, and possession of a Class B drug (cocaine).

According to police reports, a woman who said she had been dating Peppers “on and off” for about three years said she was hit, shoved to the ground, and choked “at least six times” by Peppers at an apartment in Braintree, Mass. The woman also alleged that her head was shoved into a wall and that Peppers took off her clothing and left her outside.

At a pretrial hearing Friday, Peppers’ defense attorney, Marc Alan Brofsky, alleged that the victim’s lawyer approached Peppers, asking for $10.5 million to settle the case or they would file a civil suit. Brofsky said Peppers rejected the request and that a civil suit seeking that same amount would be filed.

“It’s technically not extortion, but it’s very probative and tells you what this case is about,” Brofsky said.

Court records show Peppers is the defendant in a civil suit filed Wednesday in Norfolk Superior Court, with Jane Doe listed as the plaintiff. Further details were not available.

Brofsky said Peppers has cell phone video taken immediately after the incident that he said does not show visible injuries consistent with the accusations of violence.

Peppers, who posted $2,500 bail on Oct. 7 and was ordered to stay away from the victim, was excused from attending Friday’s hearing.

On Oct. 9, Peppers was placed on the Commissioner’s exempt list. He is not permitted to participate in practice or attend games while on the list but will continue to be paid. He is in the first season of a three-year, $24 million contract.

In their reactions to the news in October, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo and owner Robert Kraft condemned domestic violence but also said Peppers should be allowed due process.

“I just want to be clear — any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us as a team, whether you’re a player, staff member. We’re wholeheartedly against any type of domestic violence. I know the organization’s position, which I fully support,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said on Oct. 9.

“With that being said, I do think that Jabrill has to continue to go through due process. We’ll see how that works out. The league has put him on the exempt list, and that will give us time to gather more information going forward… As a father of three daughters, I definitely understand the seriousness of the allegations and hopefully they’re not true.”

Peppers did not appear in the Patriots’ 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 5, the Sunday before his arrest, having already been ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

Peppers, 29, had started all four previous games and has 23 tackles, one interception and two passes defended.

In his eighth season, Peppers has 494 career tackles with 28 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, seven interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), five forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries in 97 games (83 starts).

The Cleveland Browns selected Peppers in the first round (25th overall) out of Michigan in the 2017 NFL Draft. He has played for the Browns (2017-18), New York Giants (2019-21) and Patriots.

–Field Level Media

November 27, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Alvin Kamara pleads not guilty; trial begins July 31

Saints running back Alvin Kamara and three other men — including Bengals defensive back Chris Lammons — pleaded not guilty to battery charges in a Las Vegas courtroom Thursday, setting the stage for a July trial.

Kamara, Lammons, Darrin Young and Percy Harris were all indicted last month on charges of conspiracy to commit battery, stemming from the alleged beating of a man outside of a Vegas nightclub in February 2022.

The judge set a trial date for July 31, which coincides with the start of training camp for many teams.

Harris is listed in court documents as Kamara’s manager.

According to police, video evidence shows Kamara punching a man eight times. The alleged victim was knocked unconscious and sustained an orbital fracture to his right eye, police said. After the man fell, he was allegedly stomped on by others in Kamara’s group.

The alleged victim, identified in court documents as Darnell Greene of Texas, filed a $10 million civil lawsuit in the Civil District Court of Orleans (La.) against Kamara last October. In the complaint, Greene said he will need continued medical care, including surgeries, to treat injuries he said he sustained in the alleged attack.

The alleged incident occurred at Drai’s After Hours nightclub, located in the basement of the Cromwell Hotel.

Kamara, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, played in the Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas the day after the incident.

Both Kamara and Lammons played in the NFL last season as the league continued an investigation into the allegations.

Kamara, 27, appeared in 15 games (13 starts) and ran for 897 yards and two touchdowns. He added 57 catches for 490 yards and two TDs.

Lammons played for the Chiefs in 2022 and was claimed on waivers by the Bengals before the AFC Championship Game. The 27-year-old played only 19 snaps on defense but was in the game on 75 percent of special teams plays. In 16 games, he forced a fumble and made seven tackles.

–Field Level Media