Jury finds NFL player Stefon Diggs not guilty on 2 criminal counts
A Massachusetts jury has found star NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs not guilty on two criminal charges following a trial stemming from an alleged incident involving a private chef.
On Tuesday, the panel returned verdicts of not guilty on both counts, which included strangulation or suffocation and assault and battery.
A former New England Patriots player, Diggs was arraigned on charges of strangulation on Feb. 13, just days after he appeared in the Super Bowl. Diggs was originally charged in December and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Opening statements in the trial began on Monday in a Dedham, Massachusetts, courthouse.
In court, a personal chef Jamila Mila Adams, took the stand and testified about a physical altercation she alleges she had with Diggs on Dec. 2, in which she testified Diggs struck her and attempted to choke her, according to Boston ABC station WCVB.
According to WCVB, the jury deliberated for less than 90 minutes before reaching its verdict.
According to police records obtained by ABC News, the incident stemmed from a dispute over wages the chef was requesting Diggs pay her.
A statement from an attorney for Diggs in December read, "Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations. They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated -- because they did not occur."
The statement continued, "The timing and motivation for making the allegations is 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."
The Patriots released a statement supporting Diggs in December as well.
Diggs was released by the Patriots in March, according to ESPN. The wide receiver is yet to sign with a new team for the upcoming season.
