A Massachusetts jury on Tuesday acquitted former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs of felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from an alleged incident at his home in Dedham in December 2025, clearing the four-time Pro Bowl pass-catcher to pursue a new NFL contract ahead of the 2026 season.
The jury reached its verdict after just over one hour of deliberations at Norfolk County District Court. Five women and one man served as the deliberating jury, with one alternate not taking part in the final vote. The verdict was announced in the late afternoon, and a small group of supporters outside the courthouse cheered as Diggs and his mother were escorted into a vehicle following the reading of the acquittal.
Diggs, 32, had been accused of slapping and choking his live-in chef, Jamila Adams, on December 2 at his Dedham residence. Adams filed charges roughly three weeks after the purported incident, telling police that Diggs entered her bedroom and struck her during a discussion about money he owed her, and also claimed he attempted to choke her when she tried to push him away. Diggs pleaded not guilty to both charges in February 2026.
The two-day trial moved quickly. The defense rested just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, closing arguments followed roughly an hour later and lasted just over 30 minutes, and Judge Jeanmarie Carroll then delivered jury instructions before deliberations commenced at approximately 3:05 p.m.
Defense attorney Andrew Kettlewell anchored the closing argument on the absence of physical evidence. Kettlewell told jurors that no evidence of an assault had been presented, calling Adams’s account internally inconsistent and unsupported by medical records or photographs, and arguing that the accusation was made as a means of leveraging and humiliating Diggs. Kettlewell pointed out that on December 11, Adams had apologized to Diggs for her behavior and was working to retain her position, yet five days later, on December 16, she told police she had quit her job on the very day of the alleged attack.
Prosecutors pushed back, urging the jury to view Adams as a credible witness despite inconsistencies. Assistant District Attorney Drew Virtue acknowledged that Adams was not a “perfect witness” but argued her behavior — crying privately and packing her belongings while appearing composed around others who had known Diggs longer — was plausible given her circumstances. Virtue also addressed defense claims about a $5.5 million demand made on Adams’s behalf, telling the jury it was something for them to weigh in their assessment of her credibility.
Before reaching its verdict, the jury sent a question to Judge Carroll asking her to clarify the legal standards for both assault and battery and strangulation. Carroll instructed the panel that for strangulation, the prosecution was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Diggs applied substantial pressure to Adams’s throat or neck in a way that interfered with her normal breathing. Shortly after that instruction, jurors returned a not guilty verdict on all counts.
Diggs’s attorney Mitchell Schuster spoke to reporters outside the courthouse after the verdict was read. “Domestic violence is a very, very serious issue in this country, and it’s disconcerting when people use it as a sword and manufacture claims in an attempt to extract money,” Schuster said. “I believe the jury saw through that today, and we are very, very pleased with this result.” Diggs himself did not address reporters and left the courthouse immediately with his family. Schuster said Diggs was “emotional, but he’s happy,” adding that “he’s happy that he’s been vindicated.”
The acquittal clears the legal cloud that had shadowed Diggs’s offseason, but the matter has not been fully resolved at the league level. The NFL told reporters that it had been monitoring all developments in the case, which remains under review pursuant to the league’s personal conduct policy, meaning further discipline remains possible.
From a football standpoint, Tuesday’s verdict reopened what had been a stalled free agency for one of the more accomplished wide receivers of his generation. Diggs recorded 85 catches for 1,013 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his one season with the Patriots, helping the team advance to Super Bowl LX. New England released him in March, clearing more than $16 million in cap space and terminating the final two years of the three-year contract he had signed the previous offseason.
Schuster, speaking in his capacity as Diggs’s attorney, said Tuesday that teams had been reluctant to pursue the receiver while criminal charges remained pending. “Now that he’s been exonerated and his truth has been heard and his position — that this never occurred and he’s been falsely accused — he’s been vindicated,” Schuster said. “I believe that a team will reach out and sign him imminently. And they’ll be lucky to get him.”
Diggs has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in seven seasons since 2018, establishing a track record of production that few receivers at any age can match. With the 2026 NFL Draft now complete and training camps scheduled for late July, the 32-year-old enters the open market at a stage in the offseason when roster construction is largely settled — meaning any interested team would likely be seeking immediate, experienced reinforcement at the position.
