The statement continues: “We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and cooperate fully with the relevant authorities and the NFL as necessary. Out of respect for all parties involved, and given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”
No details about the allegations were released at a hearing in Dedham on Tuesday, nor was the date of the incident.
Diggs did not appear in court and his attorneys, from Boston’s renowned Todd & Weld firm, participated remotely.
An arraignment is scheduled for January 23.
Following the brief hearing, Judge Jeanmarie Carroll filed a motion to place the case documents under advisement, and the defense said it was working on a financial resolution to the incident.
Michael R. DiStefano, Diggs’ attorney, told the judge there would be “a substantial risk of widespread publicity” that could taint the case without impoundment, “given the nature of the situation and the individuals involved.”
Although the prosecution did not object to the impoundment, the judge reversed course.
“There is an interest in some transparency in the process here,” Carroll said.
She said she would soon make a decision on whether to release the police report with redactions of the alleged victim’s personal information.
The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year contract in March worth up to $69 million. He had a very productive season for a receiver who suffered a torn ACL, with 82 catches for 970 yards and four touchdowns.
During his 11-year NFL career, Diggs worked in Minnesota, Buffalo and Houston. During his first year in New England, he received high marks from his teammates for his presence on the field and in the locker room.
During the voluntary portion of the team’s offseason program, Diggs made headlines for a video showing him on a boat with an unidentified pink substance. An NFL spokesperson declined to comment, while the Patriots handled the matter internally.
The Patriots have one game left in the regular season: Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium against the Dolphins. It’s unclear if Diggs will be available for the game.
New England holds the No. 2 seed in the NFL playoffs, which begin next week. Diggs contributed 101 receiving yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over the Jets to help the Patriots win the AFC East title for the first time since 2019.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Material from previous Globe articles was used in this report, and Nicole Yang of the Globe staff contributed.
Sean Cotter can be contacted at sean.cotter@globe.com. Follow him @cotterreporter. Travis Andersen can be contacted at travis.andersen@globe.com.
