NFL places Jabrill Peppers on Commissioner Exempt List following arrest for assault, drugs

The NFL has placed Jabrill Peppers on the Commissioner Exempt List, the move stemming from the New England Patriots defender’s arrest over the weekend.

Peppers was arrested on multiple charges, including strangulation and drug possession. Now, the NFL is taking action as the whole situation gets sorted out, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, not allowing him to play, practice or attend games at the moment.

“The National Football League placed Jabrill Peppers of the New England Patriots on the Commissioner Exempt List,” Schefter posted on X. “Peppers may not practice or attend games while on the list.”

Moreover, Braintree (Massachusetts) Police announced that Peppers had been arrested on Monday. That came after they said they reported to a disturbance at a residential address early Saturday morning. The caller indicated a disturbance between two people was occurring. 

The list of charges against Peppers is extensive, with police saying he will be charged with “assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation, and possession of a Class B substance believed to be cocaine.”

Peppers did not play in New England’s loss on Sunday to the Miami Dolphins. He was ruled out for the game after dealing with a shoulder injury during the week. In the four games he did play this season, Peppers was in for 94 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.

The Patriots said in a statement that they are “aware of an incident involving Jabrill Peppers over the weekend in which the police are currently investigating.” However, the organization had no further comment on the situation at this time.

The victim of the alleged incident was reportedly treated at the scene. It is not clear at this time what the relationship is between Peppers and the unnamed victim. 

“He called me that morning. I knew what was going on,” head coach Jerod Mayo told sports radio WEEI on Monday. “We’ve informed the NFL what was going on and we’re still gathering information. … I don’t think anyone knows the facts or anything like that. It’s a process.”

Jabrill Peppers has been with the New England Patriots since 2022. Prior to that, he played for the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants. Originally, he was a first round pick of the Browns out of Michigan but only spent two seasons there before being traded.

In 2022, Peppers signed a one-year contract with New England and played in 17 games. He then resigned with the Patriots on a two-year deal before signing another extension in July of 2024 for three years and $30 million.

For his career, Peppers has 494 total tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, and 5.5 sacks. He has 35 passes defended and seven interceptions. On top of that, he’s returned punts and kicks with every team he’s played for throughout his career. 

On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this article.