New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list Wednesday after being arrested Saturday on a litany of charges related to allegations he choked his girlfriend and pushed her down a flight of stairs.
Team owner Robert Kraft commented on the situation Friday during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” morning show. He confirmed the team would part ways with Peppers if the accusations against him are true, but stressed that the team would wait to confirm the facts before taking any steps.
Kraft compared the situation to his own arrest for solicitation at a massage parlor, which eventually saw the charges dropped after an appeals court ruled videos involved in a sting were obtained illegally.
Kraft’s comment:
“We’re living in a world now with so much on social media and so much that’s reported is unfair in these kind of situations. When you read the thing initially, it turns your stomach. But we’ve learned — and I don’t know the facts in this case and [Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo] called me, we spoke about it, once he goes on the commissioner’s exempt list, they do their independent checking. We’re doing ours. And if what is reported is true, he’s gone.
“There have been some suggestions that this was a setup and what’s reported is not accurate. I’ve seen in life that if someone, well take any one of the three of you. You have profiles. Someone could set up something and say something, it’s just not true. I’ve personally had that happen with me. I have a saying I used with all my key people. Important decisions in life, you measure nine times and you cut once. And I think in this case, if what’s been reported is true, he’s gone, but we want to get the facts.”
While on the commissioner’s exempt list, Peppers will continue to be paid while being suspended from the Patriots’ operations. He is currently in his first season with the team after signing a three-year, $24 million contract with the team last offseason.
Peppers’ girlfriend reportedly told police he “put his hand on my neck and smashed my head against the wall, then he pushed me down the stairs” and was treated by paramedics at the scene for injuries to her head and neck. For his part, Peppers reportedly told police his girlfriend tried to have sex with him without a condom and argued with him after he refused to do so. He denied putting hands on her and claimed she fell down the stairs by herself after being asked to leave.
Per ESPN, Peppers was arraigned Monday, after playing Sunday, and pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation, and possession of a Class B substance believed to be cocaine. He posted $2,500 bail and was ordered to stay away from the alleged victim.
His attorney, Marc Brofsky, reportedly claimed in court to have evidence that “sheds real doubt on the allegations, including videotaped evidence.”