NFL free agent Stefon Diggs has been found not guilty of felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges in his trial for the alleged assault of his former personal chef, Jamila Adams.
Diggs was visibly emotional when hearing the verdict, which was delivered on Tuesday afternoon (May 5).
He was facing a potential sentence up to five years in a state prison or 2.5 years in a correctional facility for the felony strangulation charge. Both the defense and prosecution rested their cases on Tuesday after just two days of the trial. Following jury deliberations, he was found not guilty on both counts.
Adams alleged that Diggs struck her in the face and placed her in a headlock over a pay dispute at his home in December last year. She initially declined to press charges against him, but later backtracked on the decision, and he was arrested later that month. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. During her testimony, she revealed that they had a sexual relationship before she worked as his chef.
During her testimony as part of the second day of the trial, Adams was evasive when asked about claims that her attorney sought a $5.5 million settlement from the NFL star, who mostly recently played for the New England Patriots. She said that she “can’t speak on that,” and admitted that she didn’t know “how to answer the question.” Judge Jeanmarie Carroll warned Adams that repeated nonresponsive answers could lead to her entire testimony being stricken, although only portions were ultimately struck.
Diggs’ defense team argued that there is a lack of medical records, as well as of photo and video proof, documenting alleged injuries. They accused Adams of having a financial motive. In their closing arguments, Diggs’ attorneys also called attention to text messages Adams deleted, which they argued indicated that their dispute was not over her salary but another woman.
