New England Patriots - NESN.com
New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was acquitted on all assault counts levied against him on Friday.
Peppers, 29, was charged with assault and battery on a household or family member, assault and battery with a deadly weapon and strangulation. Quincy District Court composed a jury of five women and one man, which unanimously found him not guilty after deliberating for roughly one hour on Friday, per Flint McColgan of the Boston Herald.
Peppers was arrested on Oct. 5 following an altercation between him and his girlfriend, according to court files. Marc Alan Brofsky, who represented the veteran safety, wanted to prevent prosecutors from introducing evidence of previous misconduct — referring to a statement made while he was being booked regarding evidence of cocaine found in his wallet.
Brofsky stressed that the accusing witness had filed a civil suit that in part asked for $9.5 million in damages for the alleged assault, and that the lawyer she hired was known for seeking huge sums from celebrities — including Harvey Weinstein and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The Patriots released a statement following the arrest indicating they were aware of the issue, before later welcoming him back to the team after he was removed from the NFL’s Commissioner Exempt list.
