NFL puts Patriots' Jabrill Peppers on exempt list after charges - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The NFL placed New England Patriots starting safety Jabrill Peppers on the commissioner exempt list, the league announced Wednesday.

Peppers may not practice or attend games while on the list.

Peppers pleaded not guilty Monday after he was arrested Saturday on charges that include strangulation and drug possession, according to police in Braintree, Massachusetts.

«I just want to be clear — any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us as a team, whether you're a player, staff member. We're wholeheartedly against any type of domestic violence. I know the organization's position, which I fully support,» coach Jerod Mayo said Wednesday.

«With that being said, I do think that Jabrill has to continue to go through due process. We'll see how that works out. The league has put him on the exempt list, and that will give us time to gather more information going forward. At this time, he is not in the building and we'll talk about that at a later time. As a father of three daughters, I definitely understand the seriousness of the allegations and hopefully they're not true.»

Peppers, who turned 29 on Oct. 4, is a team captain and in his eighth NFL season. This is his third season with the Patriots.

Police announced Peppers' arrest Monday, saying they responded to a disturbance at a residential address early Saturday morning when a caller indicated there was an altercation between two people.

Peppers was charged with «assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation, and possession of a Class B substance believed to be cocaine.»

According to Braintree police, the woman alleged that Peppers hit her, choked her «at least six times,» took off her clothing and put her outside.