Stefon Diggs is maintaining his innocence.
The New England Patriots wide receiver made an appearance in court in Dedham, Mass., Feb. 13 and entered a not guilty plea after being charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery based on allegations by his former private chef.
“Stefon is completely innocent,” his attorney Mitchell Schuster said in a statement to E! News. “He did not commit any of the acts alleged in the complaint and we are able to prove that.”
Schuster added, “We are confident that after a full review of the facts and evidence surrounding these false allegations, Stefon will be exonerated.”
The charges against Diggs—who welcomed a baby boy with rapper Cardi B in November—stem from an accusation by his former personal chef who claimed the incident occurred on Dec. 2.
The chef reported the incident to Dedham police on Dec. 16, according to a copy of the police report obtained by CBS News affiliate WBZ-TV. She told authorities she’d been hired as the NFL player’s personal chef for the NFL season and was staying at a room in his Dedham home. She told investigators the Dec. 2 confrontation was about money, as she expected to be paid weekly but was being paid monthly.
