NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel answered questions about recent criminal allegations against star players Stefon Diggs and Christian Barmore during a press conference on Wednesday.
Diggs was accused of attacking a private chef during an argument over money, while Barmore was charged with assault and battery after his girlfriend told police he threw her to the ground in August.
Vrabel said recent developments are not “disappointing.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
(Left) New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on September 21, 2025. (Right) New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 23, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images; Peter Joneleit/AP Photo, file)
“I would say it’s not disappointing at all. They’re allegations,” Vrabel said when asked how disappointing the “distractions” were before the playoffs. “These are things we have to deal with, and every day there are distractions, some are smaller than others. I’m confident that our focus will be on the Dolphins and that the two people you mentioned will be able to handle the legal process at hand.”
Vrabel also said he doesn’t expect these developments to be troublesome.
“Afraid? No, not afraid,” he said.
Vrabel declined to elaborate on whether team discipline would be imposed on the players and suggested the team was aware of the alleged incidents before they were revealed to the public.
“Again, there are legal issues going on. And these are, again, allegations. We made a statement, we took the allegations very seriously, and what comes out of that, I think we’ll then have another discussion. But I don’t think we should jump to conclusions at this point and let the process take its toll,” he said. “We always want to gather more information, but these are — we were aware of these allegations. Yesterday and today, it’s not the first time we’ve heard about it. Trying to do everything according to league policy and making sure we’re in compliance with the league.”
When asked when the team learned about Diggs’ allegations, Vrabel said, “When they were able to tell us about it through court filings and things like that.”
In a statement, the team acknowledged the situation and said the 32-year-old catcher denied the allegations against him. “The New England Patriots are aware of the allegations against Stefon Diggs. Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies these allegations. We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate 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.”
SAINTS COACH KELLEN MOORE DISCUSS JUSTIN TUCKER’S TRAINING SETUP: ‘HE SAW AN EXPERIENCE’
Vrabel was asked what the phrase in the statement meant that the team “supports” Diggs, and he responded: “We support everyone that we care about and have been close to for a while. And we do. We understand that there are allegations, but we also want to support every player, every coach and every staff member.”
Diggs allegedly strangled his boss over money earlier this month. The woman told police that Diggs “punched her in the face,” she tried to push him away, and then he “tried to strangle her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”
In the meantime, Barmore would have seized the victim’s phone as she attempted to leave her residence. The alleged victim then “intended to open the door and scream for help, but Christian grabbed her before she could and threw her to the ground.” Barmore then allegedly grabbed the victim by the shirt near his neck. Barmore also allegedly told the victim that he would ask his cousin to “f— [her] up.”
The NFL said Diggs and Barmore were eligible to play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
“There is no change in the status of Diggs or Barmore. Both are eligible to play at this time,” the league said in a statement. “Pursuant to the Personal Conduct Policy (attached), consideration for placement on the Commissioner’s Exempt List may follow formal charges in the form of a grand jury indictment, the filing of charges by a prosecutor, or an indictment in criminal court. »
David Meier, one of the attorneys on file for Diggs, confirmed that the veteran NFL wide receiver categorically denies the claims against him and added that the dispute was between an employer and an employee.
“Stefon Diggs categorically denies these allegations. They are unfounded, uncorroborated and have never been investigated because they did not occur. The timing and motivation of the allegations are very clear: they are the direct result of a financial dispute between employee and employer that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in court.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks to the media during a press conference at Gillette Stadium. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
Barmore’s attorney released the following statement:
“We are confident that the evidence will demonstrate that no criminal conduct occurred. Based on the facts and the law, we hope that this personal matter will be resolved in the near future and that both parties will move forward together.”
