NFL Closes Personal Conduct Review of Stefon Diggs Without Discipline
The league found insufficient evidence of a policy violation, a league official told ESPN, ending a review that began after the veteran receiver was accused, and later acquitted, of assaulting his private chef.
The NFL has closed its personal conduct review of wide receiver Stefon Diggs after finding insufficient evidence that he violated the league's policy, a league official told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday. The decision means Stefon Diggs, currently a free agent, faces no league discipline stemming from a December incident at his Massachusetts home, a case in which a jury found him not guilty in May.
What was the NFL reviewing?
The review concerned allegations that Stefon Diggs assaulted his private chef during a pay dispute at his home in Dedham, Massachusetts, on December 2. Diggs pleaded not guilty in February to charges of felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault. In May, a jury found him not guilty after a two-day trial. The NFL's personal conduct policy allows the league to discipline players independent of the outcome in court, so the review continued after the acquittal. On Thursday, a league official told ESPN that the review had been closed because there was insufficient evidence of a policy violation. That closes the matter on both the legal and league fronts.
What has Stefon Diggs' side said about the case?
His attorney, Mitch Schuster, has maintained that the receiver did nothing wrong. "The evidence has shown what we've maintained from day one: Mr. Diggs was wrongly accused, and this case represents exactly the kind of opportunistic targeting that players can face the moment they step off the field," Schuster said, per ESPN. The jury's not guilty verdict in May supported that defense, and the league's decision now removes the last formal cloud over the case. Diggs himself has not been quoted in ESPN's report on the closure. The league official who confirmed the decision to Adam Schefter did not elaborate beyond the finding of insufficient evidence.
Where does this leave Diggs' playing career?
Stefon Diggs is a free agent after the New England Patriots released him in March. He had signed a three-year, $69 million deal with New England in 2025 and posted his seventh career 1,000-yard season that year. With the legal case resolved in his favor and the league review now closed without discipline, teams can pursue him without the uncertainty of a possible suspension hanging over a signing. Diggs, originally a 2015 draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings, has also played for the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans. Whether a contender adds him before training camp is the next question of his offseason.
Sources
- ESPN: NFL closes personal conduct review into WR Stefon Diggs
