As New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore is dealing with assault allegations, he is currently away from the team, but apparently not dealing with the player's situations off the field. With Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs dealing with assault charges himself, the football world is wondering what their status will be for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins, though Barmore deals with another matter.
According to New England head coach Mike Vrabel, Barmore is away from the team “due to an illness,” according to Mark Daniels of MassLive.
“Mike Vrabel says Christian Barmore is away from the team due to an illness,” Daniels wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The 26-year-old defensive tackle for the Patriots is being charged with one count of “misdemeanor assault and battery on a family/household member stemming from an alleged altercation that occurred on Aug. 8 in Mansfield,” per MassLive.
According to a police report cited by MassLive, “the mother of Barmore’s child said she wanted to leave, then accused the defensive tackle of throwing her to the floor and disconnecting a call when she tried to phone her mother.”
Patriots' Mike Vrabel speaks about the situation with Christian Barmore
While the Patriots are looking ahead to a playoff run, there are serious allegations surrounding members of the team that have to be addressed in a certain way. However, Vrabel spoke to the media on Wednesday, and with the regular season finale this Sunday against the Dolphins, he doesn't expect Barmore or Diggs to miss at this current time.
“I haven’t heard anything that would keep either player from the game,” Vrabel said.
Vrabel was even asked if there is disappointment with the news around Barmore and Diggs, since that can be distracting, but downplayed it.
“Not disappointing at all. These are allegations,” Vrabel said, via Daniels. “It’s things that we have to handle. Every day there’s distractions. Some are smaller than others. Confident that we’ll focus on the Dolphins and those two individuals… will be able to handle the ongoing legal process.”
Mike Vrabel on the recent distractions with Stefon Diggs and Christian Barmore pic.twitter.com/7dqe9H2PI0
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) December 31, 2025
At any rate, it remains to be seen how the situation plays out for Barmore and Diggs.
