New England Patriots defensive lineman Christian J. Barmore is facing a domestic assault and battery charge after his girlfriend told police he threw her to the ground in August at his home outside Boston.
A criminal complaint issued Dec. 18 claims Barmore, 26, briefly took the woman's phone, threw her to the ground and grabbed her by the shirt inside the home in Mansfield, Massachusetts.
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Mansfield Police Sgt. John Armstrong said the woman called police on Aug. 25 to report what had occurred almost three weeks earlier. The woman told police she had stayed at the home periodically during their relationship of several years.
Barmore's lawyer, David Meier, issued a statement Wednesday saying “the evidence will demonstrate that no criminal conduct took place.” Meier called it a personal matter and said he expected it to be "resolved in the near future and both parties will move forward together.”
The woman told police she took their daughter early the morning of Aug. 8 into Barmore's bedroom, where Barmore was upset because the thermostat was 2 degrees warmer than he preferred. She said their daughter wanted to see him.
She claimed Barmore “picked up the child, placed her on the floor just outside the master bedroom, turned back into the room and slammed the door shut,” according to police.
As the woman packed her belongings to leave later in the day, Barmore took the phone from her hand and disconnected a call with the woman's mother, according to the criminal complaint. When she headed for the front door to call for help, police said, Barmore allegedly “grabbed her before she could and threw her to the floor."
Barmore grabbed her by the shirt but “eventually let go” and the woman got up, she told police. A car provided by the team picked up the woman and their daughter and drove them to Delaware. She provided police with a photo showing bruises she said occurred when she was thrown to the floor.
New England coach Mike Vrabel said Barmore was away from the team with an illness Wednesday but that he hadn’t heard anything that would make him unavailable to play Sunday.
“We’ve made a statement and we’ve taken the allegations very seriously,” Vrabel said, referring to allegations against both Barmore and receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs has been charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery in a dispute with his former private chef.
“I don’t think we have to jump to any sort of conclusions right now. Let the process take its toll,” Vrabel said.
An arraignment was scheduled for early February. The charge is a misdemeanor.
The team's public relations office e-mailed a statement saying it had been aware of the matter when it occurred and notified the league.
“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,” the Patriots said.
Barmore was a second-round pick in 2021 out of the University of Alabama.
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Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press reporter Kyle Hightower contributed from Foxborough, Massachusetts.