New England Patriots star Stefon Diggs was formally charged with a felony count of strangulation or suffocation and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from an alleged December 2 incident, and his arraignment is scheduled for January 23, 2026 — just days before the AFC Championship Game if the Patriots advance. This is a serious development for a player who has been a household name in the league, and it demands sober attention rather than reflexive outrage or reflexive protection. Americans who believe in the rule of law want the truth to come out, not celebrity cover-ups.
According to police reports made public in journalism accounts, the allegations involve a private chef who says Diggs entered her bedroom, struck her in the face and put an elbow around her neck during a dispute over money. Those are grave accusations that, if true, would be criminal and inexcusable; if false, they’re equally ruinous to an innocent man’s reputation. The details will be litigated in court, which is exactly where they belong.
Diggs and the Patriots have pushed back, with his legal team calling the claims uncorroborated and asking a judge to impound the police report to stem what they described as dangerous publicity. The team’s statement that it “supports Stefon” while cooperating with authorities is predictable, but team loyalty cannot substitute for accountability. Fans who love their team should insist on both fairness for the accused and full cooperation with the legal process.
Fox & Friends featured criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter weighing in on the case, which underscores how quickly legal disputes become public spectacle when high-profile athletes are involved. Conservatives should be clear-eyed here: we support due process and fierce defense for the accused, but we also don’t excuse bad behavior or try to silence alleged victims because of a player’s paycheck or popularity. The law must run its course outside the noise of cable punditry.
The timing — an arraignment on January 23 with the AFC Championship slated for January 25 — creates a combustible mix of legal, professional, and public-relations consequences for the Patriots and the NFL. League officials have said they are aware and in contact with the team, which means additional disciplinary questions loom regardless of the criminal outcome. Fans deserve clarity from both the justice system and the league on how such serious allegations will be handled.
Let there be no mistake: Americans must defend the presumption of innocence until guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt, especially when careers and families are on the line. At the same time, celebrity should not buy immunity; accountability is the only principle that keeps public life from descending into lawless favoritism. Those who cheer for the red, white, and blue should demand both fairness and responsibility from our institutions and our icons.
Patriots supporters and the broader public should watch this case closely and insist that both the court of law and the court of public opinion reflect reality rather than partisanship or profit. If Diggs is innocent, he deserves his full exoneration and a restoration of his good name; if the allegations are proven, no status should shield him from the consequences. That’s common-sense justice, and hardworking Americans deserve nothing less.
