Not Guilty.
Diggs Walks
Free on All
Charges

Stefon Diggs walked out of Norfolk County District Court a free man on Tuesday evening. The jury — five women and one man — took less than 90 minutes to decide that the prosecution had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the former Patriots wide receiver slapped or choked his private chef on December 2, 2025. Diggs was visibly emotional when the verdict was read. He did not speak to reporters. He left immediately with his family.

The trial — which opened with jury selection earlier that morning before moving quickly into opening statements and the first witness — centers on an alleged incident on December 2, 2025, at Diggs' home in Dedham. His private chef, Jamila "Mila" Adams, 41, testified that Diggs entered her bedroom, confronted her over a brewing dispute involving money and a planned Miami trip, and physically attacked her.

"He smacked me with an open hand," Adams told the six-person jury, describing the moment Diggs entered her room while she was seated on her bed. When she tried to defend herself, she said, he wrapped his arm around her neck. "When I went up to block him, he took his arms and came around my neck and he began to choke me."

At times visibly emotional on the stand, Adams said she was so scared she urinated in her pants. She took a flight to New York City that evening and stayed for a week.

The Relationship Behind the Charges

What makes this case more than a straightforward assault allegation is the complexity of the relationship between Diggs and Adams — one that the prosecution and defense painted in sharply different terms from the start.

Adams testified that she first met Diggs over four and a half years ago. "It started out as friends and then became sexual and we would meet up and hang out, and we decided February 2025 I would start working for him," she said in a quiet voice. She was already living in his home when she was formally hired as his personal chef, earning $2,000 per week preparing meals for Diggs and his guests.

Tensions escalated in November, Adams testified, after Diggs accused her of sending a direct message to someone in his circle that revealed personal information about him. She denied sending the message, but the accusation contributed to ongoing conflict between them. By early December, the two were also fighting over payment for her work.

The Defense: No Evidence, No Crime

Diggs' lead attorney Andrew Kettlewell came out swinging in his opening statement, reducing his entire defense to a three-word declaration before the jury: "It didn't happen."

Kettlewell told the jury that no one in the house at the time of the alleged attack saw or heard anything out of the ordinary, and that there was no evidence of the attack. There are no medical records nor photos or video documenting it. He argued that what Adams experienced on December 2 was not an assault but the disappointment of being excluded from a high-profile Miami trip.

Kettlewell also alleged that Adams' demands for money increased in the weeks after she filed a police report, and urged the jury not to be influenced by the fact that Diggs was a wealthy professional athlete. "Just like any other person in this country rich or poor, Mr. Diggs sits here an innocent man and any preconceptions or feelings you have about athletes, wealth or anything else has to be put aside," he said.

The defense also highlighted several inconsistencies in Adams' account under cross-examination. Adams acknowledged she did not take photographs of any injuries or seek medical treatment. She also gave Diggs a birthday gift later on the same day as the alleged assault, and returned to his home days afterward, staying for approximately a week. Defense attorney Sara Silva pointed to a December 11 text in which Adams apologized and expressed a desire to continue working for Diggs.

Cardi B, Miami, and Art Basel

The Miami trip looms large in both sides' narratives. The prosecution argues that Diggs' confrontation with Adams on the night of December 2 was triggered by the tension surrounding her exclusion. The defense argues that Adams' anger over not being included — combined with an ongoing financial dispute — is precisely what motivated her to file a police report and fabricate the assault allegation.

Timeline of Events

What's at Stake

Beyond the legal outcome, this trial raises questions that sit squarely in HipHopCitizen.com's wheelhouse — about money, power, access, and how the justice system treats disputes that arise in the private worlds of wealthy athletes.

Adams is a Black woman with over a decade of experience cooking for professional athletes, musicians, and wealthy families. She took a job in the home of a man she knew personally and trusted. Whatever the jury ultimately decides about what happened on December 2, her account of the power dynamics inside Diggs' household — the unpaid wages, the social exclusion, the entourage politics, the leverage that comes with controlling someone's livelihood — is a story that resonates far beyond this courtroom.

For Diggs, the stakes are his freedom, his reputation, and what remains of his NFL career. He has not signed with another team since being released by the Patriots in March. A conviction on the felony strangulation charge could effectively end any chance of a return to the league.

Trial is expected to continue through this week. The defense plans to call witnesses who were inside the Dedham home at the time of the alleged incident. HipHopCitizen.com will have live updates as the verdict approaches.

The Verdict — And What Came After

The jury exited to deliberate at approximately 3:05 p.m. and returned a verdict around 4:30 p.m. Before delivering the verdict, jurors sent a question to Judge Carroll asking her to clarify the legal criteria for both charges — a signal that they were taking the standard of proof seriously. Carroll instructed them that if the prosecution had not proven every element beyond a reasonable doubt, they must acquit. A short time later, they did exactly that.

Diggs' attorney Mitch Schuster said after the verdict: "Professional athletes have a target on their back. When someone sees a uniform and a contract, they see leverage; they see a settlement. And they're counting on that pressure in the court of public opinion to drive a default decision to settle regardless of the facts of the matter."

Outside the courthouse, Schuster added: "People have to stop targeting professional athletes and trying to extract money. This has to stop. People should focus on real victims from domestic violence. Allegations like this do a tremendous disservice to those who are really afflicted."

The prosecution's case collapsed largely on the credibility of its sole witness. During cross-examination it emerged that someone on Adams' behalf had demanded $5.5 million from Diggs — a question she struggled to answer on the stand. The defense also highlighted that Adams deleted explicit messages from her phone before providing screenshots to investigators, that she returned to Diggs' home after the alleged assault, and that she sent him an apology text on December 11 — nine days after the alleged attack.

What Happens Now

Diggs, who last played for the Patriots after signing a $69 million deal, was released by the team following their loss in Super Bowl LX. He remains a free agent. His attorney said he hopes the acquittal opens doors. "Our hope is this is now behind him and he will be signed by a team. Any team will be lucky to have him," Schuster said.

The verdict closes the criminal chapter of this story. Whether Diggs returns to the NFL — and whether the broader conversation about wealthy athletes, private staff, and the power dynamics between them — is a question the culture will keep wrestling with long after the courthouse doors closed on Tuesday afternoon.

DonJuanDMack covers sports, culture, and criminal justice for HipHopCitizen.com. Reporting draws on live coverage by the Associated Press, The Boston Globe, and The Daily Record. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Reach him at donjuandmack@hiphopcitizen.com.