New England Patriots' Star Stefon Diggs Arrested After Woman Accuses Him of Slapping, Choking Her By Chris Spargo 72

Stefon Diggs is accused of slapping and then choking a woman at his Massachusetts home on the night of Dec. 2, according to a copy of a police report obtained by PEOPLE.

The star receiver for the New England Patriots and boyfriend of Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B is now facing a felony charge of strangulation and a misdemeanor charge of assault. Cardi B is not the alleged victim in the case against Diggs.

Diggs, 32, is now due to appear in Dedham District Court to be arraigned on these charges on Jan. 23, which would be two days before the playoff-bound Patriots could find themselves competing in the AFC Championship Game.

The incident between Diggs and the woman allegedly occurred at his $2.5 million home in Dedham, a suburb of Boston located approximately 15 miles south of the city.

Diggs and the woman allegedly had a disagreement about money, she told police when she first reported the incident on Dec. 16.

She initially declined to press charges, but then changed her mind on Dec. 23 and notified police that she wanted to press charges against Diggs.

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In that Dec. 16 interview, the woman told police that she worked for Diggs and had been employed by the football player until the night of the alleged incident, at which time she quit her job, according to the police report.

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Diggs, who is in the first year of a three-year contract worth $69 million with the Patriots, “categorically denies the allegations,” his attorney David Meier tells PEOPLE.

“They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur. The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction,” Meier added.

The Patriots also responded to the allegations with their own statement, saying: “Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary.”

The team went on to say that “Out of respect for all parties involved” they “will have no further comment at this time.”

The NFL also acknowledged it was aware of the charges against Diggs in a statement.