Jabrill Peppers, the Patriots’ star safety who is a first-time captain with the team, was placed on the NFL’s commissioner exempt list Wednesday following his arrest Saturday on assault and drug charges.
As long as Peppers is on the commissioner’s list, he is not allowed to practice with the team or attend games but will still be paid. The list is only used for what the league calls “unusual” circumstances, which includes players facing either felony charges or charges that involve the use of physical force.
Peppers was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation, and possession of a Class “B” substance believed to be cocaine, per a police report.
Peppers, 29, pled not guilty Monday, and his case was continued to Nov. 22.
Braintree (Mass.) police responded to a call at a residence in the town early Saturday regarding a dispute between two people, and EMS treated a victim at the scene, according to the police report.
At first, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo signaled that Peppers would remain with and around the team following the arrest, but after Peppers was placed on the exempt list, Mayo backtracked and said Peppers would remain away from the team.
“I just want to be clear that any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us,” Mayo said. “… As a team and staff, we’re wholeheartedly against domestic violence. With that being said, I do think Jabrill has to go through the system and go through due process.”
“As a father of three daughters, I understand the seriousness of the allegations and hopefully they’re not true,” Mayo said.
The Patriots signed Peppers to a three-year, $24 million extension in August.
(Photo: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
