The jury in the case against Jabrill Peppers reached a verdict on Friday, and the New England Patriots safety has been cleared of all charges.
Peppers was arrested in October and charged with assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation and possession of cocaine. He pleaded guilty to the drug charge in a Quincy, Mass., court on Thursday.
After deliberating for less than 30 minutes on Friday, a jury found Peppers not guilty of all the remaining charges.
Peppers was arrested on Oct. 5 following an alleged incident at his apartment in Braintree, Mass. Police responded after a woman told a 911 dispatcher that Peppers “hit her, choked her, took off her clothing and put her outside” after an argument became physical. You can read more about the allegations here.
Peppers was placed on the NFL’s Commissioners Exempt list after he was arrested, which is essentially paid leave. He was reinstated in late November after missing seven games.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team would cut Peppers if the allegations against the former first-round pick were true. Kraft chose to wait for the case to play out before making any decision.
Peppers had 40 total tackles in six games for the Patriots this season. He has been one of the anchors of the team’s defense over the past three seasons, which is why he was rewarded with a 3-year, $30 million contract last offseason.
