FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers has been placed on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List after his weekend arrest on charges including assault and battery, head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed.
While on the exempt list, Peppers will be barred from practicing or attending games.
Though he said team officials were still gathering information as of late Wednesday morning, Mayo condemned domestic violence and said Peppers will need to “continue to go through due process.”
“Really any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us,” Mayo told reporters. “We’re wholeheartedly against any type of domestic violence.”
Police said officers arrested Peppers, 29, at his home in Braintree early Saturday morning. Peppers appeared in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to charges that also included strangulation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a class B substance.
Among allegations, police in court documents said the woman who was allegedly assaulted said Peppers put his hand on her neck, smashed her head against a wall, and threw her down a set of stairs.
Police said officers found a clear plastic bag full of what Peppers said was cocaine during the booking process at Braintree Police Headquarters after Peppers’ arrest.
Mayo on Monday said team officials were still gathering more information on Peppers’ arrest.
Speaking on Wednesday, he said the league’s move to keep Peppers off the field will give the Patriots extra time to gather additional information.
“As a father of three daughters, I definitely understand the seriousness of the allegations,” Mayo said. “And hopefully they’re not true.”
Peppers has been with the Patriots since 2022 and is currently a captain on the team. He did not play in the Patriots’ most recent game against the Miami Dolphins due to a shoulder injury.
A judge allowed Peppers to remain free on $2,500 bail after his arraignment but ordered him to avoid contact with the alleged victim in this weekend’s incident.
Peppers’ attorney on Monday said he has video evidence that “sheds real doubt on the allegations.” He did not, however, contest the prosecution’s request to impose a no-contact order.
The judge in Peppers’ case scheduled a probable cause hearing for Nov. 22. Peppers will not be required to attend.
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