Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore is facing a domestic assault charge, according to court documents out of Attleborough District Court, as first reported by WCVB-TV.
The 26-year-old is charged with one count of assault and battery on a family/household member.
According to WCVB-TV, the misdemeanor charge stems from an alleged incident in Mansfield on August 8.
Per WCVB-TV - according to charging documents, the victim had been in a relationship with Barmore, alleging he became angry with her about the air conditioning temperature in his bedroom along with having an argument over food. Court documents go on to say the victim told police Barmore grabbed her phone from her hands while she was trying to leave the house. Charging documents stated the victim "intended to open the door and scream for help but Christian grabbed her before she could and threw her to the floor."
The criminal complaint was issued on December 16, and Barmore is scheduled to be arraigned on February 3 - five days before Super Bowl LX.
The news comes one day after wide receiver Stefon Diggs had a motion hearing for an alleged incident with his personal chef on December 2.
As of publishing, both Barmore and Diggs are set to be available for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins (7-9). A win over Miami along with a loss for the Broncos (13-3) to the Chargers (11-5) would clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC for New England (13-3) heading into the postseason.
As he is every Wednesday, Mike Vrabel is scheduled to speak at his weekly press conference at 1:10 p.m. ET.
UPDATE - The Patriots have released a statement on Barmore:
“The New England Patriots are aware of reports regarding a pending February arraignment involving Christian Barmore, which stems from an alleged domestic incident that occurred in August. The Patriots were made aware at the time of the incident and informed the NFL in a timely manner. 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. We will have no further comment at this time.”
UPDATE - Mike Vrabel tells the media during his press conference that Barmore will be away from the team on Wednesday as he deals with an illness. When asked if he or Diggs would be available for Sunday's game, Vrabel said he doesn't anticipate either player being unavailable in the immediate future. He also added that he has not had any conversations with the NFL about either matter.