Patriots’ Jabrill Peppers to face strangulation, drug charges

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers pleaded not guilty on Monday after the team captain was arrested Saturday. He will face charges that include strangulation and drug possession, according to police in Braintree, Massachusetts.

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.

Police said Peppers, who turned 29 on Friday, 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.”

The alleged victim was treated at the scene, police said.

Peppers pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Quincy (Massachusetts) District Court on Monday morning. He was held on $2,500 bail and ordered to stay away from the alleged victim, and the case will continue in court on Nov. 22.

In a statement, the Patriots said they were “aware of an incident involving Jabrill Peppers over the weekend in which the police are currently investigating” and would have no further comment.

Peppers’ attorney said there is evidence, including video, that “completely contradicts the alleged victim’s story, and I expect my client to be fully exonerated.”

Peppers, a team captain, didn’t play in the Patriots’ 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. He had been limited in practice last week because of a shoulder injury, and the team officially ruled him out Saturday.

“He called me that morning. I knew what was going on,” Patriots 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.”

Added Mayo: “We don’t know enough to say (Peppers) shouldn’t be in the building.”

Peppers signed a three-year, $24 million extension in July,