Patriots star accused of strangling girlfriend after she got a call he ‘didn’t like’
“He’s not going to comment now, but what I said in the courtroom, I’ll repeat. We have evidence that completely contradicts the alleged victim’s story and I expect my client to be fully exonerated.”
Police arrested New England Patriots captain Jabrill Peppers Saturday in Braintree, MA after he allegedly strangled his girlfriend and pushed her down the stairs after she received a call that the football star “didn’t like.” But the NFL player says he has evidence that will exonerate him, the Daily Mail reported.
A police report obtained by DailyMail.com indicates that Peppers’ girlfriend is accusing him of getting physical around 4 a.m. Saturday when she received a phone call that was very disagreeable to Peppers. She alleges that he told her to leave his apartment, choked her on six occasions, banged her head against the wall with his hands wrapped around her neck – all while the two were still not wearing any clothes.
Peppers then allegedly pushed the girlfriend down the stairs, followed by her handbag and smartphone a few seconds later. The athlete is anticipating charges of assault and battery, assault and battery with a deadly weapon, strangulation, and possession of a Class B drug that has been identified by Peppers as cocaine.
Peppers was out on Monday after being arraigned at Quincy District Court while his lawyer insists he and his client have the evidence to overturn his girlfriend’s account.
The football star kept his mouth shut while his attorney told reporters: “He’s not going to comment now, but what I said in the courtroom, I’ll repeat. We have evidence that completely contradicts the alleged victim’s story and I expect my client to be fully exonerated,” adding that he has both video and “other evidence as well” that will serve that purpose.
According to court documents obtained by the Mail, Peppers also insisted that he was wholly innocent while being arrested, telling police that his lover became “enraged with him when he refused to have unprotected sex with her.” The police reported: “According to Jabrill, [the woman] kept acting erratic and refused to leave. According to Jabrill, [the woman] fell by herself on the stairs because she was intoxicated. He denied pushing her down the stairs, and he said that she was making those allegations to destroy his career.”
Police arriving at the scene of the complaint say the woman was scratched on her knees and had red blemishes on her forehead. The New York Patriots issued the following statement on the incident Monday: “We are aware of an incident involving Jabrill Peppers over the weekend in which the police are currently investigating. We will have no further comment at this time.”
Speaking to reporters, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo did have further comment. “He called me that morning. I knew what was going on. We’ve informed the NFL what was going on and we’re still gathering information… I don’t think anyone knows the facts or anything like that. It’s a process.”