It was already unlikely that the NFL would place Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs on the Commissioner Exempt list (i.e., paid leave) before the Super Bowl. It’s now virtually certain it won’t happen.
Via TMZ.com, the arraignment in Diggs’s criminal case has been delayed from January 23 until February 13. That’s five days after Super Bowl LX.
Diggs’s lawyer said in a court filing that Diggs has a “previously-scheduled professional commitment” on January 23.
For now, Diggs is the subject of a criminal complaint accusing him on felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery. Last week, the NFL explained, as to pending charges against Diggs and Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore, that paid leave “may be considered following formal charges in the form of an indictment by a grand jury, the filing of charges by a prosecutor, or an arraignment in a criminal court.”
If Diggs had been arraigned on January 23, two days before the AFC Championship, things could have gotten awkward for the league, the Patriots, and Diggs.
It’s not a guarantee Diggs won’t land on the Commissioner Exempt list. On Saturday, the NFL told PFT via email that it is “not ruling anything out pending the legal process.”
“We will be closely monitoring all developments in the cases and will evaluate next steps as appropriate,” the league added.
The team has made it clear that it supports Diggs, who categorically denies the allegations from a chef he employed.