New England Patriots team captain Jabrill Peppers was arrested Saturday on assault and drug possession charges, the morning after celebrating his 29th birthday.
Peppers, who plays safety on the Patriots defense, was absent for the team’s 15-10 loss on Sunday to the Miami Dolphins after being ruled out of the game Saturday, ESPN reported.
The Braintree Police Department confirmed Peppers’ arrest in a statement to PEOPLE and said the NFL star “will be charged with assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation and possession of a Class ‘B’ substance believed to be cocaine.”
Police said officers responded to a residential address Saturday in the “early morning hours” after someone called 911 and reported “there was an altercation between two people.”
Peppers was arrested by responding officers, while a “victim was treated by E.M.S. at the scene.”
Peppers was arraigned in a Quincy District courtroom on Monday, according to officials.
Local CBS Boston reported that Peppers pleaded not guilty to the charges. The outlet reported that in a court filing, a woman accused Peppers of having “hit and choked her multiple times before pushing her down the stairs.”
Peppers was released from custody on $2,500 bail, according to the outlet, which reported the NFL player’s attorney claimed to have seen “videotaped evidence” that casts doubt on the charges.
The Patriots and the team’s head coach Jarod Mayo commented on Peppers’ arrest Monday morning.
“We are aware of an incident involving Jabrill Peppers over the weekend in which the police are currently investigating,” the team said in a statement issued to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
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Patriots head coach Jarod Mayo said he spoke with Peppers on Saturday morning about the incident.
“He called me that morning. I knew what was going on,” Mayo told local WEEI on Monday, during the coach’s weekly call with the sports radio station. “We’ve informed the NFL what was going on and we’re still gathering information.”
Mayo said Peppers is still on the team as far as he is aware, when asked about Peppers’ status with the organization. “Yeah, I mean, I don’t think anyone knows the facts or anything like that,” the coach said. “It’s a process.”
Peppers joined the Patriots before the 2022 NFL season after playing two seasons with the Cleveland Browns and three with the New York Giants. The University of Michigan alum was drafted by Cleveland with the No. 25 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
The NFL announced in late July that Peppers had signed a three-year contract extension with New England worth up to $30 million.
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