Drake Maye shares honest feelings on Stefon Diggs as Patriots WR deals with assault charges

The England Patriots received back-to-back setbacks this week after news of wide receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive tackle Christian Barmore's charges grabbed headlines.

Diggs is facing charges of "felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery" after an altercation with his former chef earlier this month. Meanwhile, Barmore has been dealing with charges after an alleged domestic incident in August.

The Patriots showed support for Diggs in their statement earlier this week and star quarterback Drake Maye echoed that sentiment for his teammates on Wednesday.

“Stef, man. He means a lot to this team," Maye said. "He’s breaking the huddle down before practice today. He’s chirping at me on the sideline to give him the rock. He’s pumping up the young guys when they make big plays. He’s blocking downfield.

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"He gives off the persona of one of those guys you wanna be teammates with. And I think that’s one of the best things about him that I’ve kind of learned, is how awesome it is to be his teammate and be there with him.”

According to reports, Diggs has a court arraignment scheduled for January 23. The court hearing could impact the Patriots' postseason, as it is two days before the AFC Championship Game.

Patriots star Drake Maye calls of favorable schedule in MVP race

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has emerged as the favorite for the NFL MVP title, overtaking veteran Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford after last week's five touchdowns against the New York Jets.

However, some believe that Maye has been fortunate with the Patriots' schedule during the MVP race. Maye dismissed those claims in conversation with reporters on Wednesday.

"We play in the National Football League," Maye said. "Every team’s got great players. They get paid a lot of money. So, it’s not like we’re playing, shoot, Foxborough High School down the road. "We play who’s on our schedule. We can’t control that. Just trying to go out there and try to win. A lot of these teams that we do play are good, and they’re in the National Football League for a reason."

Maye and the Patriots will suit up against the Miami Dolphins, who are 7-9 for the season, in their final regular-season game on Sunday.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash