Stefon

Diggs

Diggs is facing felony strangulation and suffocation charges, along with misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from an incident that involved him and his personal chef. Diggs is next scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing on April 1st. Diggs’ attorney said he “categorically denies these allegations.” This is a situation that is likely to play out over the next several months, but we would expect the league to decide whether or not to hand down a fine and/or suspension once this is resolved.

It was a Super Bowl night to forget for Diggs, with the only silver lining being the same was true for every other Patriot. Officially in the mercenary stage of his career, 32-year-old Diggs signed a three-year deal with the Pats as he completed his recovery from a torn ACL. In reality playing on more of a one-year contract — Diggs can be cut loose with relatively little pain for the Pats — he was the No. 1 wideout in an offense where that didn’t mean as much as it might elsewhere. Diggs was just 71st in Pro Football Focus’ “route percentage,” with Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte both playing more snaps when healthy. Diggs did squeak by 1,000 yards, but he contributed only four touchdowns. He did manage a strong 2.42 yards per route run. Nevertheless, Diggs is getting up in age and becoming an increasing off-the-field distraction. It’s quite possible the Pats decide to make his Boston tenure one-and-done.

Facing a stout pass defense in snow conditions, Diggs’ numbers fell victim to both the weather and conservative game play. The veteran receiver’s biggest gain came on a forgettable six-yard reception in the first quarter and was later followed by a two-yard loss and then a three-yard reception. Diggs’ six targets led all Patriots pass-catchers, as he’s now seen five or more targets in all three playoff games. Now one win away from his first Super Bowl, we’ll see if Diggs can come up big for the Patriots in a few weeks to deliver a title back to New England.

Diggs’ score was his first of the postseason and just his second since November 9. Blanketed in the end zone, he made a tough catch then held on for dear life as he was ripped to the ground. Harassed all afternoon by physical coverage, Diggs helped move the chains just enough times as the Pats outlasted a turnover-destroyed Texans offense. Diggs now has another difficult defensive assignment for the AFC Championship Game in Patrick Surtain’s Broncos.

This was a quiet night for Diggs. He picked up nine yards with a crisp in-breaking route during the Patriots’ sixth drive, falling one yard short of the first-down marker. Two drives later, Diggs could have had a decent catch-and-run gain on a short crosser with Chargers defensive backs seemingly focused on the deep pass, but Chargers DL Teair Tart planted himself firmly in Diggs’ path, just after the veteran wide receiver cut inward. Tart’s fire hydrant impression effectively took Diggs out of the progression while the short-middle area of the field remained vacant. The Patriots face the winner of the Texans-Steelers game tomorrow night. The Steelers’ defense is far softer than the Texans’ elite unit.

The arraignment will now occur five days after Super Bowl LX, making it “virtually certain,” per Mike Florio, that the NFL will not place Diggs on the commissioner exempt list before the Super Bowl. Diggs is “the subject of a criminal complaint” that accuses him of “felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery.” Nothing is guaranteed, but it appears as though Diggs will be available for the playoffs.

The Patriots’ starters played into the fourth quarter, but Drake Maye attempted only 18 passes, limiting compiling opportunities for his supporting cast. Healthy after a stretch of playing at less than 100 percent, Diggs enters the postseason as the Pats’ clear-cut No. 1 weapon. His off-the-field issues seem like they won’t encroach until after the season is over. The two-seed Patriots will host the seven-seed Chargers for the Wild Card Round.

Diggs is facing felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges. His arraignment is set for January 23rd. Barmore has an arraignment in February that stems from an alleged domestic incident in August. Things could change with both players as these stories develop, but the legal process is slow and the NFL may ultimately wait to step in until that process plays out. For now, both players appear to be available for NFL’s postseason.

The alleged assault, according to Boston 25 News, took place on Tuesday, December 2, after the Patriots beat the Giants on Monday Night Football. Diggs’ attorney said Diggs is in talks with the alleged victim to settle out of court. Diggs is scheduled to be arraigned on January 23, two days before the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots issued a statement saying the team supports Diggs. “The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs,” the team said. “Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary.”

Diggs got open at will in this game, gashing the Jets for three gains of 20-plus yards. He also came away with a three-yard score at the goal line, netting him $500K in incentives. The absences of Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins undoubtedly allowed him to dominate the team’s intermediate and deep looks while also running some extra routes. Boutte should be back next week while Hollins is on IR, meaning he won’t play in Week 18. Coming off back-to-back 100-yard games, Diggs will be the WR2 mix versus Miami next week.