QUINCY, Mass. — A water main break has delayed a trial scheduled Wednesday for New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers on allegations that he shoved his girlfriend’s head into a wall and repeatedly choked her after she received a phone call while they were in bed together.
Peppers, 29, faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a Class B substance believed to be cocaine, court documents show.
He was scheduled to appear in court in Quincy, Massachusetts, but the court was closed following a water main break, the clerk’s office said Wednesday morning. Peppers’ case was rescheduled for Thursday.
Police in Braintree, Massachusetts, said they were called to a home for an altercation between two people in October. Peppers allegedly pushed the woman to the ground, shoved her head into a wall and allegedly choked her six times, according to court documents.
Police said she refused to go to a hospital and was treated at the home for her injuries.
Peppers answered the door shirtless, nodding his head and telling police, “I know what is going on,” according to court documents. He was arrested without incident. Police said they found a clear plastic bag at the home containing a white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine.
In an October court appearance, Peppers’ attorney, Marc Brofsky, said evidence “sheds real doubt on the allegations, including videotaped evidence.” He said Peppers agreed not to have contact with the woman.
Peppers missed seven games after being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list on Oct. 9 following the incident. This prevented him from practicing or playing with the Patriots but allowed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to place a player on paid leave while reviewing his case. He was removed from the list on Nov. 25 but appeared in only two of the Patriots’ final five games this season because of foot and hamstring injuries. He was placed on injured reserve before the team’s season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 5.
The Patriots signed Peppers, a safety in his third season with the team, to an extension over the summer. Peppers was originally drafted by Cleveland in 2017 and spent two seasons with the Browns before playing for the New York Giants for three seasons.
The league said previously that its review of Peppers’ criminal case is ongoing and was not affected by the change in Peppers’ roster status that allowed him to return to play. His current contract with the Patriots runs through 2027.