The criminal trial for New England safety Jabrill Peppers, whose charges include both domestic violence and drug possession, is scheduled for Jan. 22.
Peppers initially pleaded not guilty in Quincy (Mass.) District Court on Oct. 7 after he was arrested on charges of strangulation or suffocation, assault and battery on a family or household member, and possession of a Class B drug (cocaine).
According to police reports, a woman who said she had been dating Peppers “on and off” for about three years said she was hit, shoved to the ground, and choked “at least six times” by Peppers at an apartment in Braintree, Mass. The woman also alleged that her head was shoved into a wall and that Peppers took off her clothing and left her outside.
At a pretrial hearing Friday, Peppers’ defense attorney, Marc Alan Brofsky, alleged that the victim’s lawyer approached Peppers, asking for $10.5 million to settle the case or they would file a civil suit. Brofsky said Peppers rejected the request and that a civil suit seeking that same amount would be filed.
“It’s technically not extortion, but it’s very probative and tells you what this case is about,” Brofsky said.
Court records show Peppers is the defendant in a civil suit filed Wednesday in Norfolk Superior Court, with Jane Doe listed as the plaintiff. Further details were not available.
Brofsky said Peppers has cell phone video taken immediately after the incident that he said does not show visible injuries consistent with the accusations of violence.
Peppers, who posted $2,500 bail on Oct. 7 and was ordered to stay away from the victim, was excused from attending Friday’s hearing.
On Oct. 9, Peppers was placed on the Commissioner’s exempt list. He is not permitted to participate in practice or attend games while on the list but will continue to be paid. He is in the first season of a three-year, $24 million contract.
In their reactions to the news in October, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo and owner Robert Kraft condemned domestic violence but also said Peppers should be allowed due process.
“I just want to be clear — any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us as a team, whether you’re a player, staff member. We’re wholeheartedly against any type of domestic violence. I know the organization’s position, which I fully support,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said on Oct. 9.
“With that being said, I do think that Jabrill has to continue to go through due process. We’ll see how that works out. The league has put him on the exempt list, and that will give us time to gather more information going forward… As a father of three daughters, I definitely understand the seriousness of the allegations and hopefully they’re not true.”
Peppers did not appear in the Patriots’ 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 5, the Sunday before his arrest, having already been ruled out due to a shoulder injury.
Peppers, 29, had started all four previous games and has 23 tackles, one interception and two passes defended.
In his eighth season, Peppers has 494 career tackles with 28 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, seven interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), five forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries in 97 games (83 starts).
The Cleveland Browns selected Peppers in the first round (25th overall) out of Michigan in the 2017 NFL Draft. He has played for the Browns (2017-18), New York Giants (2019-21) and Patriots.
