In a courtroom scene that left few dry eyes, former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs was acquitted Tuesday of assault and battery and strangulation charges, following a single day of jury deliberation.

The verdict, delivered just after 4:30 p.m., brought Diggs to tears as the not-guilty decision was read. The case revolved around a December 2 incident at Diggs' home in Dedham, where Jamila Adams—a former live-in personal chef known as Mila—alleged that Diggs slapped and choked her during an argument.

From the opening statements, this trial felt less like a straightforward assault case and more like a high-stakes game of he-said-she-said. The jury had to weigh Adams' credibility against what defense attorneys painted as a financial dispute gone wrong. Defense lawyers highlighted money demands Adams allegedly made, along with testimony from friends and employees who claimed she showed no signs of injury in the days following the encounter.

"There was no assault, no strangulation, no incident at all on that day or any other day," defense attorney Andrew Kettlewell told jurors during closing arguments, hammering home that prosecutors had not presented "a single shred of credible evidence."

Prosecutors, however, urged the jury not to dismiss Adams' account simply because she wasn't a "perfect witness." Assistant District Attorney Drew Virtue acknowledged that Adams could be "argumentative, avoidant, difficult," but insisted that didn't mean her testimony should be thrown out entirely. He asked jurors to give her words "the attention, the scrutiny, the weight it deserves."

During cross-examination, Adams grew visibly emotional on the stand, describing how Diggs allegedly entered her room after a text argument. She testified that he "smacked me with an open hand" before wrapping his arm around her neck, leaving her struggling to breathe. But when pressed about financial demands made on her behalf, she declined to answer, as defense attorneys zeroed in on inconsistencies regarding what she claimed she was owed versus what she was actually paid.

For Diggs, this verdict closes a challenging chapter that began long before he ever stepped onto the field in a Patriots uniform. While the legal system has spoken, the case serves as a reminder that off-field controversies can overshadow even the most promising athletic careers—and that in sports, as in court, the truth is often more complicated than a single play.