The Patriots have had a rough couple of days and, from how things are looking, it might only get rougher. After initially listing captain Jabrill Peppers as questionable to play in Sunday’s game on Friday, the team eventually announced he would be sitting out the game.
This left the New England Patriots without two safeties for their Sunday game against the Miami Dolphins, which they ultimately lost. And unfortunately, it’s only gotten worse. Just a day after announcing Peppers’ absence from the game, the safety was arrested, and the charges aren’t looking good.
Why was Jabrill Peppers arrested?
Jabrill Peppers was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 5 in Braintree, Massachusetts. The Braintree police described the circumstances around Peppers’ arrest, detailing how they arrived at a private residence after receiving a call from a neighbor about a disturbance. The call came early on Saturday morning, and the caller claimed two people were having an altercation at the residence.
Upon arriving at the scene, the police carried out a short investigation and arrested Peppers. The second party, who remains unnamed, received emergency medical services at the scene. The state of the victim’s injuries as well as their current condition has not been released. However, information currently available suggests the victim is a woman.
Peppers was arrested on multiple charges, which include assault and battery, battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation, and possession of a Class B drug, which is now rumored to be cocaine, leading fans to ask for a drug test. Peppers was arraigned on Monday at Quincy District Court where his lawyers pleaded not guilty on all the charges. The prosecutors ruled that the bail would be set at $2,500, since Peppers had already posted that amount in the case. They also ruled Peppers would not be allowed to contact the victim. His lawyers stated that there was evidence that might shed doubt on the charges against Peppers, but conceded to the prosecutor’s terms and Peppers was released on Monday, Oct. 7.
The next hearing for the case has been scheduled for Nov. 22, but Peppers opted to waive his right to appear in court. The Patriots also released a statement on Monday, reading “We are aware of the incident involving Jabrill Peppers over the weekend which the police are currently investigating. We will have no further comment at this time.” Jerod Mayo, the Patriots’ coach, also spoke on WEEI FM, and confirmed that Peppers is still on the team, and that the NFL is “gathering information” concerning the situation.
The Patriots can’t catch a break
On their Friday injury report ahead of their next game on Sunday, the Patriots listed Peppers as questionable to play. The reason cited was a shoulder injury, but the report initially said his status would be revealed on game day. Soon after, the report showed he didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday and had limited practice on Thursday and Friday, which was the cause of the questionable status.
However, later the following day it was announced that Peppers was downgraded to “out,” and would be sitting out the game due to his injury. Peppers was the latest of the Patriots captains to get injured this season. The Patriots announced six new captains for the 2024 season: David Andrews, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Joe Cardone, Jacoby Brissett, Deatrich Wise Jr., and Jabrill Peppers. However, since the season started, it has been one captain down after the other.