New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has broken his silence amid the assault allegations against his teammates, wide receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive tackle Christian Barmore.
“I’m going to support them any way I can, support my teammates, and I love those guys,” Maye, 23, said during a Wednesday, December 31 press conference. “Those two, really everybody, I’ve really got a good relationship with, and I feel like whatever they need from me, I’m here for them. Like I said, for those guys, for them to speak on it.”
Diggs, 32, faces charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery after allegedly assaulting his personal chef in early December. Barmore, 26, was charged with one count of assault and battery on a family/household member, stemming from allegations brought forward by a woman identified as being in a relationship with him.
The Patriots are 13-3 on the season with one game remaining before the playoffs begin. Sitting in first place in the AFC East, New England has a real shot to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in the post-Tom Brady era.
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Maye was also asked to shed light on what Diggs and Barmore are like as people and teammates.
“Stef, man, he means a lot to this team,” Maye said. “He’s breaking the huddle down before practice today. He’s chirping at me on the sideline to give him the rock. He’s pumping up the young guys when they make big plays. He’s blocking downfield. He gives off the persona of one of those guys that you just want to be teammates with.”
He added of Barmore, “I love talking crap with B-More. He’s passionate about football, passionate about the game. He’s one of those guys in the locker room that you want to have rushing the passer. He loves quarterbacks, too, especially his own, but he loves getting after them. But really, I think those guys, personally, I think they just care about one another. They care about each other, and they care about this football team. That’s the biggest thing.”
Maye’s comments come as Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is under fire for his reaction to the allegations against his players.
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“I would say not disappointing at all. These are allegations,” Vrabel, 50, told reporters on Wednesday.
“It’s things that we have to handle, and every day there’s distractions, some are smaller than others,” he continued. “I’m confident that we’ll focus on the [Miami] Dolphins, and those two individuals that you mentioned will be able to handle the ongoing legal process.”
“We’ve made a statement. We’ve taken the allegations very seriously,” Vrabel added. “What comes of that I think then we’ll have another discussion. But I don’t think we have to jump to any sort of conclusions right now and let the process take its toll.”
Attorney David Meier, who is representing Diggs and Barmore, has issued statements denying wrongdoing from either player.
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“They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur,” Meier said of the allegations against Diggs. “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. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law.”
Regarding Barrmore, he added, “We are confident that the evidence will demonstrate that no criminal conduct took place. Based on the facts and the law, we expect that this personal matter will be resolved in the near future and both parties will move forward together.”
