New England Patriots star Stefon Diggs made a last-minute substitution to his legal team ahead Friday’s hearing in his assault case.
Days after struggling in a Super Bowl LX defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, Diggs will be in a Dedham, Massachusetts court on Friday to face charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery. He was accused in December of physically attacking his female chef at his home during a financial dispute.
The 32-year-old wide receiver denied the claim through his previous attorneys.
Diggs had been represented by David E. Meier and Michael R. DiStefano, but court records now show Sara Silva listed as his attorney. The Daily Mail has reached out to Silva for confirmation.
Thursday’s arraignment, first scheduled for January, was delayed until Friday amid the Patriots’ Super Bowl run. Diggs is expected to enter a plea Friday after having the formal charges read to the court. Previously, his now-former lawyers said they were trying to resolve the case through a financial settlement with his chef.
The Daily Mail has chosen not to identify the accuser.
Diggs had just three catches on three targets in Sunday’s Super Bowl LX loss to Seattle
Dedham police accused Diggs of striking and choking the woman who worked as his personal chef over the first months of his debut season with the Patriots. The alleged incident is said to have taken place during a financial disagreement.
Diggs has since been named in an unrelated defamation lawsuit stemming from a 2024 incident in Florida. The plaintiff, a former business partner, claims Diggs falsely accused him a stealing a Ferrari. The accuser claims he was attacked at a night club in 2025 over those false allegations.
Meanwhile, Diggs’ Patriots teammate Christian Barmore is charged with misdemeanor domestic assault and battery on a family or household member in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Barmore allegedly grabbed his then-girlfriend during an August dispute and threw her to the ground.
Diggs had just three receptions on a mere three targets as the Patriots fell 29-13 to the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks on Sunday.
The most notable moment for Diggs came when got punched in the head by Seattle defensive back Josh Jobe after the pair jostled with each other’s facemasks for a bit.
That dreadful performance, along with his partially-guaranteed $28 million cap hit, is enough to jeopardize his return to Foxborough in 2026.
However, he did say in the post-game locker room that he wants to come back.
‘S***,’ he said in the post-game locker room, ‘I hope so.’
Diggs was a non-factor in his Super Bowl debut and could be forced to change teams again
And as if the Super Bowl, assault charges and lawsuit weren’t enough, there is also some reported drama with Diggs and his girlfriend, rapper Cardi B. Some reports have surfaced claiming the couple has split following the birth of their first child, a boy. Curiously, the Diggs and Cardi B recently unfollowed each other on social media.
Following days of speculation, Diggs shared a cryptic message on Instagram, disabling the comments on the mysterious post.
‘Gratitude and Fear cannot coexist in the same space… a reminder to control what you can control, remain thankful and stay motivated,’ Diggs wrote in the caption.
The post featured a number of photos from the Patriots’ playoff run, including multiple of him arriving at stadiums on various game days.
first raised eyebrows when she delivered a frosty pregame message to the football star before the Super Bowl.
When approached by an ESPN reporter before kickoff and asked to share an ‘inspiring message to Stefon’, the Grammy-winning rapper, 33, appeared unimpressed.
The two have raised eyebrows even more since the New England Patriots star wide receiver lost the big game as fans have noticed the two have unfollowed one another
Cardi smirked, paused, and offered a curt: ‘Good luck,’ before walking off without adding anything further.
She appeared to drop another big hint that the couple was no longer together when she took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a recap of her game day experience.
Many fans pointed out that she had nothing to say about the upset. Instead, she shared a video of herself dancing at the game after she was one of the many stars who made surprise appearances for Bad Bunny’s halftime show.
She also shared photos of the Airbnb she apparently stayed at for the big game, but there appeared to be no trace of her boyfriend.
Her post included two additional photos of herself in her off-white, corseted minidress outfit for the big game, which she was also wearing when she joined Bad Bunny on the stage.
Their distance at the game sparked fan frenzy that the pair called it quits, and now social media users are speculating that the pair unfollowed each other after the game.
Cardi B (far right) made her own Super Bowl appearance during Bad Bunny’s halftime show
Instead of addressing the ongoing speculation, she shared a caption about the ‘energy’ at the Super Bowl and the halftime show.
‘We had a time at the game, honey! Then we took that energy back to the Airbnb for a whole photoshoot,’ she wrote.
‘Thank you @airbnb for always setting up me and the team up with the best stays while we’re on the road!’
She concluded her caption with three red heart emojis and made no other mention about the game.
The two have been linked since early last year and went public with their relationship in May when they were spotted courtside together at a New York Knicks game.