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Just when the New England Patriots seemed to be riding the perfect wave of momentum heading into their return to the NFL playoffs, something happened that shocked fans.
Look at Stefon Diggs. In the Dec. 2 incident, a beef dispute over an apparent unpaid bill escalated and he was accused of punching and attempting to strangle a former chef. Really? The reliable recipient faces a felony charge of strangulation or suffocation.
Consider Christian Barmore. He is accused of throwing the mother of a 2-year-old to the floor and threatening her while she was cooking food during an argument Aug. 8 over a disagreement over room temperature. Seriously? The 315-pound defensive tackle is charged with misdemeanor domestic assault and battery.
This week, two allegations surfaced in quick succession that two key figures have committed heinous crimes. Bad timing. The optics are bad. The NFL had enough regular season finale plotlines to set up Week 18, but as we move from 2025 to 2026, the Patriots have another version of new drama in store.
As Patriots coach Mike Vrabel insisted, those are doubts at this point. Lawyers representing both players flatly denied the accusations.
“We have issued a statement and we take the allegations very seriously, and we will discuss the outcome later,” Vrabel said at a midweek news conference. “But I don’t think there’s any need to jump to any conclusions right now, and there’s no need to sacrifice the process.”
Of course, Vrabel has a vested interest in keeping players on the field. This is not a question of the coach’s integrity. Allegations of fabrication arise. Still, it certainly sounds like the Patriots may have jumped to some conclusions.
“We stand behind Stephon,” the team said in a statement Tuesday.
In a statement Wednesday, the team indicated it was aware of the incident involving Barmore shortly after it occurred. But it appears the team has come to the conclusion that whatever happens is not serious enough to remove a key player from the lineup.
In 1996, the Patriots waived the rights to a fifth-round defensive tackle a week after drafting Christian Peter. Myra Craft, the team owner’s wife, learned of Peter’s history of violence against women and made the same statement amid growing backlash from women’s groups. Robert Kraft set the standard for the Patriots early in his ownership.
That was a long time ago. Mayra, may you rest in peace. Myra passed away in 2011.
But, as Vrabel argues, these are doubts. It’s just that the nature of the allegations is disturbing enough to raise red flags. But unlike Pittsburgh Steelers receiver DK Metcalf’s assault on a fan that was caught on video and resulted in a two-game suspension, it’s difficult to assess when there’s no clear evidence (at least in Diggs’ case).
You might think that Roger Goodell, who is no stranger to managing the messy aftermath of domestic violence cases, would quickly step in and take the players off the field and put them on the commissioner’s exempt list while the legal process plays out.
Sure, that’s a possibility, but not this week. On Sunday, the last-place Patriots (13-3) host the Miami Dolphins.
According to the NFL’s personal conduct policy bylaws, players can be placed on the exempt list, which is equivalent to paid leave, if formal charges of a felony or violent crime proceed through a grand jury indictment, prosecutorial indictment or arraignment in criminal court.
Diggs’ arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 23, two days before the AFC title game.
Barmore’s arraignment is scheduled for February 3, five days before Super Bowl 60.
Of course, there’s no guarantee the Patriots will advance to the AFC Championship Game or the franchise’s first Super Bowl since the Tom Brady era. But given the state of things this season, it can’t be called a pipe dream.
Vrabel returned to raise New England’s profile as quickly as possible, showing how impactful the right coach can be in the right situation. In Jerrod Mayo’s only season since replacing Bill Belichick in 2024, New England went 4-13. The Patriots now have a chance to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. And while Drake Maye developed into an MVP candidate in his second season, Diggs assisted in that effort with big plays and great leadership, helping the Patriots end Buffalo’s run to five straight AFC East titles.
But none of that matters when weighing the positions of Diggs and Barmore.
And, no, Goodell doesn’t have to wait for an arraignment date to make the call. The same personal conduct policy also has a small section that allows the league to place players on the exempt list on a limited, temporary basis to allow time for a preliminary investigation into violent crime charges.
So what’s going on with that feature of policy in cases like this?
In the charges against Barmore, which were first reported by Boston-area television station WCVB, the police report includes photos of bruises provided by the woman. And did the Patriots know about this incident in August? Hmm.
The team clearly had no hesitation in putting him on the field. You wonder what type of evidence you would need to pin a domestic violence case on your home, maybe an elevator video?
“Again, the allegations. And we want to make sure that the courts, the ongoing court proceedings, are done. And once those are satisfied, we will make whatever decision we make,” Vrabel said.
This is a decision that goes far beyond the Patriots. Certainly, there are nuances.
No photos of the bruises exist in the charges against Diggs. There are no third party witnesses. This seems like a classic case of he said, she said. Does it matter that the alleged victim did not report the incident to the police until December 16th, two weeks after the incident, and did not decide to press charges until December 23rd?
In some cases, it may take some time for victims to come forward. And in this case, there are discussions about the possibility of a financial solution.
In the meantime, Vrabel insists the new revelations are not a distraction for the team.
I agree. No, it will not interfere with your game plan or practice. But the timing isn’t ideal for the Patriots, who have the playoffs looming. And there’s still some energy that participants and other people in the organization are putting into this. So, distraction or not, this is definitely not business as usual – at least not for everyone.
“It’s something we have to deal with, and there are distractions every day, some of which are smaller than others,” Vrabel said.
However, this developing issue, coupled with a defective optics system, has the potential to cause even greater disruption for the Patriots.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow X: @JarrettBell.
