The New England Patriots have missed some key players on defense for a chunk of the season, but they're getting closer to having one of them back.
On Monday, the NFL reinstated safety Jabrill Peppers from the league's commissioner's exempt list. Peppers was arrested and charged with "assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation, and possession of a Class B substance believed to be cocaine" on October 7 following an alleged altercation in Braintree, Massachusetts.
The 29-year-old, who received an extension during training camp, has a jury trial set for Jan. 22 following a pretrial hearing in Quincy, Massachusetts this past Friday.
At this point, Peppers is allowed to return to practice and attend games with his removal from the commissioner's exempt list from a league perspective, but the investigation is still ongoing.
“In accordance with the Personal Conduct Policy, the league initiated a preliminary investigation into an incident from early October. That review will remain ongoing and is not affected by this change in Peppers’ roster status.”
New England released their own comment after the news.
"The league has removed Jabrill Peppers from the commissioner’s exempt list. After missing the past seven games, he will now return to the active roster. We understand that the league’s investigation into the matter will continue, as will the legal process. We will await the outcome of both before making any further comment."
It's unclear, at this point, if and when he'll return to the team.
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