Ex-Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs found not guilty of assaulting private chef

Former New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs was found not guilty on Tuesday of assaulting his private chef in a pay dispute.

The four-time Pro Bowl wideout pleaded not guilty in February to a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from the alleged dispute.

The case centred on a Dec. 2 encounter at Diggs's home in Dedham, Mass., where Jamila Adams, a former live-in personal chef who is known as Mila, testified he slapped and choked her during an argument.

Diggs's attorneys said the alleged assault never happened and questioned Adams's credibility and whether the dispute was about money, relationship tensions, including a disagreement over a planned trip to Miami, or an alleged assault.

They pointed to financial demands she made and testimony from friends and employees who said she did not appear injured in the days after the encounter, while prosecutors argued the case rests on her account of what happened inside the home.

Defence attorney Andrew Kettlewell told jurors during closing arguments prosecutors had not presented "a single shred of credible evidence" that an assault occurred.

Assistant District Attorney Drew Virtue urged jurors to weigh Adams's testimony carefully and not to disregard it because she was not "a perfect witness."

An attorney for Diggs, who was released by the Patriots in March, said he "categorically denies these allegations," calling them unsubstantiated and motivated by a financial dispute.

Diggs signed a three-year, $69 million US contract with New England last year and was a key target for quarterback Drake Maye during the Patriots' AFC East title run. Before joining the Patriots, Diggs was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 and