Former Viking Stefon Diggs accused of strangling woman working as his live-in chef

Former Minnesota Viking Stefon Diggs appeared in a Massachusetts courtroom on Dec. 30 to answer to criminal charges in connection to allegations from a woman who said he attacked her this month while working as his live-in chef.

The 32-year-old wide receiver with the New England Patriots was charged on Dec. 29 with felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault stemming from accusations tied to a Dec. 2 incident, according to the Dedham District Court’s online records.

Diggs’ next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23, when he is expected to formally hear the charges against him during an arraignment.

The Minnesota Star Tribune has requested from the District Court a copy of the criminal complaint, which is not available online, and also has asked the Town of Dedham Police Department for details behind the allegations.

Patriots management released a statement saying it is aware of the allegations.

“Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations,” the statement read. “We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary.”

Diggs’ attorney, David Meier, echoed the team’s position, saying in his statement that the accusations “are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur. The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: They are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction.”

A woman told police on Dec. 16 that she had been texting with Diggs about money he owed her. She said Diggs had hired her in July for the 2025 NFL season, and she was allowed to stay in a room at his house. She said she believed Diggs owed her one month’s pay as of Dec. 2.

She said Diggs walked into her unlocked bedroom and confronted her.

“She said that they began to discuss this, which apparently angered [Diggs],” the police report read. “She alleges that [Diggs] then smacked her across the face. She said that she tried to push him away. [Diggs] then tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”

The woman said she had trouble breathing and was worried she would black out, she told police. The woman said she had redness on her upper chest, but she did not take photos of her injuries.

On Dec. 20, the woman told police that she received a voicemail and text messages from Diggs’ girlfriend that “stated something to the effect of ‘you don’t need to do all this. It’s not that big of a deal,’ ” the chef said, according to the police report.

New England, with a 13-3 record, closes out the season on Jan. 4 against the Miami Dolphins ahead of the AFC playoffs.

Diggs, a fifth-round pick of the Vikings in 2015, played five seasons in purple. After the 2019 season — a year in which he was fined for missing practices and his relationship with the Vikings seemingly deteriorated — he was traded to Buffalo for the Bills’ first-round draft choice in 2020. The Vikings used that pick to select future superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

The peak of Diggs’ time with the Vikings came in January 2018, when Case Keenum’s improbable game-winning 61-yard touchdown to Diggs against the New Orleans Saints in U.S. Bank Stadium was instantly christened the “Minneapolis Miracle.”