New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft says safety Jabrill Peppers is ‘gone’ if the domestic violence allegations against him are proven true.
‘[The NFL will] do their independent checking. We’re doing ours,’ Kraft told The Breakfast Club podcast. ‘If what was reported is true, he’s gone.’
Peppers on the exempt list while he goes through the legal process following his arrest on charges that he shoved his girlfriend’s head into the wall and choked her. The exempt list allows NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to place a player on paid leave while reviewing his case.
Braintree, Massachusetts police said they were called to a home for an altercation between two people early Saturday, and a woman told them Peppers choked her. Police said they found at the home a clear plastic bag containing a white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine.
Peppers was arrested without incident. He posted $2,500 bail; his next court date is scheduled for November 22.
New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers appears in Quincy District Court
Robert Kraft says safety Jabrill Peppers is ‘gone’ if the allegations against him are proven true
Despite the arrest, Kraft insists Peppers’ fate has yet to be determined in Foxborough.
‘The easiest thing would have been to cut him right away but we’re trying to measure nine times and do right by him,’ Kraft said. ‘If the facts are as been reported publicly, then he’s not with us.
‘There is a possibility there’s a different explanation and the facts are different,’ Kraft continued. So I’m personally gonna wait knowing how these things can be unfair.’
Peppers, 29, pleaded not guilty on Monday in Quincy District Court to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a Class ‘B’ substance believed to be cocaine.
His attorney, Marc Brofsky, said in court that evidence ‘sheds real doubt on the allegations, including videotaped evidence.’
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Wednesday that Peppers won’t be with the team ‘in the near term.’
‘Any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us,’ Mayo said. ‘With that being said, I do think that Jabrill has to go through the system, has to continue to go through due process. We’ll see how that works out.’
A 2017 first-round draft choice by Cleveland, Peppers spent two seasons with the Browns and three with the New York Giants before coming to New England in 2022. He was signed to a three-year, $24 million extension this summer, $11.6m of which is reportedly guaranteed.
Peppers missed Sunday’s game, a 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins, with a shoulder injury.
