New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore faces a misdemeanor assault and battery charge and is set to be arraigned in February, according to court documents. The charge stems from an alleged incident in August in which Barmore’s then-girlfriend accused him of throwing her to the ground and threatening her.
Barmore, 26, is scheduled to be arraigned in Attleboro (Mass.) District Court on Feb. 3.
According to a police report, the mother of Barmore’s child had been living with him in Mansfield, Mass. On the morning of Aug. 8, the woman said Barmore woke up and became angry because the air conditioner was set at 70 degrees, though he wanted it at 68, according to the police report. He placed their 2-year-old child outside the bedroom and slammed the door shut, according to the report.
The alleged assault occurred after Barmore became incensed that the woman was making food, essentially accusing her of stealing it from him, the report said.
The woman called her mother, but Barmore took her phone and disconnected the call, the report said. That prompted the woman to run to the door and scream for help. Before she reached the door, according to the report, Barmore threw her to the floor. According to the police report, the woman “tried to get up, but Christian had grabbed her by the shirt in the area of her neck. Christian eventually let go, and (the woman) got up.” After the woman packed her belongings, she told police that Barmore charged after her but did not strike or make contact with her. She told police their child tried to jump into her arms just as Barmore was charging, and that’s why Barmore did not make contact with her.
The woman told police she was initially hesitant to press charges because Barmore threatened her and claimed he would have his cousins “f— you up.”
“We are confident that the evidence will demonstrate that no criminal conduct took place,” Barmore’s attorney said in a statement. “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.”
The Patriots released a statement saying the organization is aware of the situation.
“The Patriots were made aware at the time of the incident and informed the NFL in a timely manner,” it read. “The matter remains part of an ongoing legal process. We will respect that process, continue to monitor the situation closely, as we have over the past few months, and cooperate fully with the league. We will have no further comment at this time.”
The news of the charge facing Barmore comes one day after Patriots teammate Stefon Diggs had a motion hearing in his criminal case on a felony strangulation charge. A female private chef who worked for Diggs alleged that he slapped and choked her on Dec. 2 amid a dispute about payments the woman said she was owed.
During a news conference Wednesday, coach Mike Vrabel was asked if he was disappointed by the recent headlines involving Diggs and Barmore.
“I would say not disappointed at all. These are allegations. … I’m confident that we’ll focus on the Dolphins (the team’s opponent in Week 18) and those two individuals that you mentioned will be able to handle the ongoing legal process.”
Vrabel said the NFL has not been in contact with the Patriots regarding whether Barmore or Diggs could end up on the commissioner’s exempt list, which the league has described as “a special player status available to clubs only in unusual circumstances” that allows the player to be paid but not participate in games. It has been used in the past while a player’s legal proceedings play out. Last season, Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was on the commissioner’s exempt list for seven games while facing domestic assault charges. He was later found not guilty.
Reached for comment, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy released the following statement: “Regarding both the Diggs and Barmore matters, which are under review of the Personal Conduct Policy … There is no change to the status of Diggs or Barmore. Both are eligible to play at this time.”
