BOSTON — A jury found New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers not guilty on Friday in the case regarding charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Peppers completed his testimony earlier that day, firmly denying allegations of choking or pushing his accuser. This trial had been ongoing for a week, during which he took the stand on Thursday to defend himself against the accusations.
One witness, a woman, recounted on Thursday that Peppers had grabbed her by the neck, slammed her against the wall, and pushed her down a flight of stairs, following multiple phone calls made to her by another man while they were together. In his testimony, Peppers expressed his belief to the police that her actions were an attempt to damage his career, as reported by local media.
Prosecutors also presented video footage from the incident, which showed Peppers asking the woman to leave his residence in Braintree, Massachusetts, while she was unclothed. The woman claimed that Peppers was recording her and making mockery of her as she tried to gather her belongings and exit after the purported confrontation.
In the police report regarding the October incident, it echoed the woman’s narrative, stating that she had declined medical attention at the hospital and instead received treatment for her injuries at home.
During her testimony, the woman expressed her distress, stating, “He grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against the wall. My feet weren’t touching the wall and he was holding me up against the wall.”
Peppers’ attorney, Marc Brofsky, sought to challenge the details of her story during cross-examination, questioning the severity of her injuries and highlighting an ongoing $9.5 million civil lawsuit filed by the woman against Peppers, suggesting she might have been motivated by financial gain.
Following the incident, Peppers had to sit out seven games after being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list on October 9. He had signed a contract extension with the Patriots in the summer, marking his third season with the team. Originally, Peppers was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2017, where he spent two seasons before joining the New York Giants for three years. Currently, he has a contract with the Patriots that is valid until 2027.
