FOXBORO, Mass. — Stefon Diggs declined to speak Tuesday about the recent viral video in which he appears to hand a group of women an unknown pink substance during a party on a boat, insisting, despite several questions from reporters, that all conversations on the matter would stay between him, coach Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots organization.
“Once again, you can format the question many different ways,” Diggs said. “I’ve been doing this for 10 years. The conversations that I had with Vrabel and the people in the building (are) going to be handled in-house.”
Diggs spoke on Tuesday after the Patriots wrapped up their final day of mandatory minicamp, breaking now for the next six weeks before training camp begins. When asked specifically what was in the bag he was holding in the video, Diggs said, “It’s a conversation that’s happening internally. I can’t have too much of a conversation about it.”
He became a national story two weeks ago when the video went viral, showing him on the boat with rapper (and reported girlfriend) Cardi B and several other women. That coincided with a stretch when Diggs was not present for multiple Patriots practices, known as organized team activities, though those sessions are not mandatory for players.
In the days after the video came out, Vrabel emphasized the importance of players making “good decisions” and said he had spoken with Diggs.
“I kind of keep my personal life personal,” Diggs said. “I had a conversation with Vrabel, obviously, and I’m going to echo everything that he said. Hope everyone makes good decisions. I had some conversations with people in the building as well. So everything else is everything else, and the particulars are all internal.”Diggs is of particular importance to the Patriots this season. He’s not just their highest-profile player, but also probably the one most important to Drake Maye’s play this season. As a rookie a year ago, Maye was stuck with the NFL’s worst offensive line and worst receiver group. This offseason, the Patriots overhauled their front five with four new starters. But it was more difficult to land a No. 1 receiver, and New England’s search for one left them with Diggs, even though he is likely past his prime as a 31-year-old coming off an ACL tear.
Still, Diggs is projected to be the team’s top receiver. The Pats need him to play like one to help get the most out of Maye. That could be why there appeared to be some frustration from the team that Diggs wasn’t at some of the voluntary practices.
“I think this goes without saying that we would love every player to be here during the voluntary portion of the offseason,” Vrabel said Tuesday. “I think that we can all agree on that. That doesn’t always happen for multiple reasons. I would say that in (Diggs’) time here, I’ve been able to be around him and our coaches. I think he’s learning. I think he’s rehabbing.”
Diggs tore his ACL in late October of 2024, an injury that tends to require a recovery time of close to a year. But the Patriots felt Diggs was ahead of schedule with his rehab when they worked him out before signing him to a three-year, $69 million contract with $26 million guaranteed.
During spring practices, Diggs took part in some of the slower-paced drills and spent other portions rehabbing on the side. It’s still unclear whether Diggs could play in the Patriots’ season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 7.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Diggs said when asked about that. “Obviously, I don’t make the rules (for minicamp). I’m grinding each and every day, though. I can’t do too much of the team stuff, but I’m eager to get out there. So whenever they do press the button, I’m going to be ready.”
Despite Vrabel’s comments about players needing to make good decisions and wishing they’d show up to voluntary practices, Diggs said he’s excited to play for the first-year Patriots coach.
They were joking around together at practice on Tuesday since Vrabel, a former linebacker, often lines up on the scout team defense against the offense. Diggs said they were talking trash and calling each other soft while going against each other.
“You can tell he was a player,” Diggs said. “Obviously, he wants to take care of you. But he’s committed to the grind. I can tell he was part of championship teams. He knows what it looks like. He knows what the DNA looks like, and he’s a grinder. He’s not going to take it easy.
“He talks a lot of smack, too, surprisingly. I’m a huge fan of him. I can’t wait to play for him. He’s got that itch that you want to run through a wall for him. I look forward to it. Me and him go back and forth in practice, and I’m not even participating.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
