FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The NFL removed New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers from the commissioner exempt list Monday, making him eligible to participate in practice and play in games.
Peppers missed seven games since being placed on the list Oct. 9 after he was arrested and charged with shoving his girlfriend’s head into a wall and choking her. The league said its review is ongoing and is not affected by the change in Peppers’ roster status.
Braintree police said they were called to a home for an altercation between two people Oct. 7, and a woman told them Peppers choked her. Police said they found at the home a clear plastic bag containing a white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine.
Peppers, 29, pleaded not guilty in Quincy District Court to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a Class “B” substance believed to be cocaine. At a court appearance last week, a trial date was set for Jan. 22.
“Any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said after the arrest. “With that being said, I do think that Jabrill has to go through the system, has to continue to go through due process. We’ll see how that works out.”
A Heisman Trophy finalist at Michigan and a 2017 first-round draft choice by the Cleveland Browns, Peppers spent two seasons with the Browns and three with the New York Giants before coming to New England in 2022. He signed an extension this summer.
He played in the first four games this season and missed one with a shoulder injury before going on the exempt list, which allows NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to place a player on paid leave while reviewing his case.