Patriots should strip Jabrill Peppers of captaincy after legal conflict

The New England Patriots, who also had the worst record in the NFL, sank to an even greater low before the team took the field and suffered their fourth straight loss to the injury-plagued Miami Dolphins in Week 5 ugliest season in the recent past for the franchise that once set a good example.

Jabrill Peppers, a rising leader and star safety who was voted team captain, was arrested Saturday – 24 hours before kickoff of Week 5 at Gillette Stadium – on charges of assault, battery on an intimate partner, assault with a dangerous weapon, strangulation and possession of a Class B drug, suspected to be cocaine. Police were called to his home in Braintree, Massachusetts, after a disturbance broke out between Peppers and the woman. Peppers pleaded not guilty Monday when he was arraigned in Quincy District Court, putting the cherry on top of the worst weekend in his history long nightmarish season.

If there is one thing that can and should be maintained in Foxboro, it is the “Patriot Way.”

Sure, Bill Belichick is long gone – apparently with New England's successes – but that doesn't mean the marks that shaped the organization's identity should also be left behind. New England has prided itself on doing everything by the book, even as it faced public scrutiny from the “Spygate” scandal in 2007 and the “Deflategate” controversy in 2015. A high level of behavior was required of players, regardless of their star status. Josh Gordon was an avid cannabis user during his stay in New England (twice), and the Patriots didn't let that happen. Antonio Brown was immediately released after a masterful debut in 2019 after multiple allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior surfaced.

Although Peppers is not familiar with off-field issues, he still has a responsibility as team captain. The 29-year-old, who signed a three-year, $24 million contract in July, will need to lead by example in the locker room, especially in New England's current state — in the midst of a rebuild that involves showcasing and figuring out young talent Pieces that are cornerstones of the future That will guide the next great chapter of Patriots football.

“We are aware of an incident involving Jabrill Peppers over the weekend which police are currently investigating. We will have no further comment at this time,” the Patriots said in a statement on the pending matter.

New England doesn't have an answer to its offensive line, its offensive playbook, its quarterback situation or its direction for handling the five weeks of no contest, but the answer to disciplining the Peppers is rooted in their history. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo needs to take Belichick's lead and treat this as his first big test as an authority figure to set a precedent for how a Mayo-led system will work. It's clear the team is heading towards lost cause territory real soon, but that's no reason to give up on how New England's culture will evolve under Mayo, according to owner Robert Kraft.

Making an example of how Peppers conducted himself will do justice to what the Patriots want to build in Foxboro. The Tom Brady culture has been gone for nearly half a decade and the rise has been unbearable to watch, this season more than any other so far.

“I will repeat what I said in the courtroom. We have evidence that completely contradicts the alleged victim's story. I expect my client to be fully exonerated,” Marc Brofsky, Peppers' attorney, told reporters, according to CBS News.

Peppers has since posted $2,500 bail and has been ordered to stay away from the woman.