All is not too well in New England right now, as the Patriots find themselves in a slump after losing four games in a row. This has led to rumors of team “mutiny”, making HC Jerod Mayo’s position tenuous. However, the Patriots players rubbished these claims, which were made by team reporter, Evan Lazar, with safety Jabrill Peppers openly rebuffing reports of Mayo losing the locker room and backing the HC.

But now it is Jabrill Peppers’s arrest that has given Mayo more headache. Peppers was arrested on assault and drug possession charges. This happened over the weekend when the 29-year-old was absent from the Patriots matchday squad that took on the Dolphins.

Although Peppers was ruled out for a shoulder injury, his arrest on early Saturday shook the NFL. Based upon reports released in the media, Braintree police responded to a call at a residence in the area regarding a dispute between two people. According to the police report, a victim was treated by EMS at the scene and Peppers was arraigned in Quincy District Court on Monday.

Following up on his situation, Jerod Mayo said that he talked to the player after the Saturday incident and reached out to the league. Speaking to the reporters in the Monday morning news conference, Mayo said,  “We informed the NFL, and we’re still gathering information. I know the team put out a statement earlier today, so I’m not sure how the league and how we are going to handle that going forward. We should find out some more more information in the next few days.”

Mayo was then asked whether Peppers would allowed in the Patriots’ facilities for now. The HC answered, “He’s not in the building today you know he has his appearance and things like that. But as we gather information he can he can definitely be in the building. Like we don’t know enough to say he shouldn’t be in the building.”

Peppers had to be away from the facility for his court appearance and Tuesdays are generally off for the players. During his court appearance, Peppers pleaded not guilty on all counts. The prosecutors have asked Jabrill to stay away from the alleged female victim, who claimed he choked her at least six times and hit her during an incident. For now, the next hearing in Peppers’ case is scheduled for November 22, though the player waived his right to appear in court that day.

For now, Peppers has been released on the $2,500 bail he posted on Saturday. His attorney Marc Brofsky is reported to have told the courtroom, “Judge, despite the fact that this is the case where there is evidence I have already seen that sheds real doubt on the allegations, including videotaped evidence, my client will not object to that condition and he’ll agree to the same thing.”

Meanwhile, the Patriots also released a statement following the news of Peppers’s arrest. “We are aware of an incident involving Jabrill Peppers over the weekend in which the police are currently investigating. We will have no further comment at this time,” the statement read.

Notably, Peppers is the New England team captain and had a good season going for him despite the team’s struggles. The 29-year-old has recorded 23 tackles alongside an interception over the four games he played this year.

But his future in New England remains under consideration based on the serious charges he is facing right now. After his hearing, Peppers was charged with 2 counts of felonies for a—— and b—— with a dangerous weapon and suffocation and 2 counts of Misdemeanors for possession of a Class B substance. However, speaking to the press afterward, Brofsky said, “What I said in the courtroom I’ll repeat. We have evidence that completely contradicts the alleged victim’s story. I expect my client to be fully exonerated.” 

This incident marks mounting troubles for the Pats, who dealing with alleged player mutiny.

Jerod Mayo facing mutiny in his New England locker room

As the Patriots continue their awful start to the season, Jacoby Brissett has found himself in the middle of all controversies. His leading this season ahead of rookie QB Drake Maye already angered many fans in Foxborough. However, Mayo has continued to prefer Brissett ahead of Maye, with the 31-year-old not improving at all. Over the five games he has played this season, Jacoby has been sacked for a whopping 17 times. And to add to that misery, he has taken a staggering 49 QB hits, which is among the highest in the NFL this season.

This got Evan Lazar, co-host of the Catch-22 podcast, saying the Patriots are“teetering on a mutiny” after the recent run of results. However, since that comment, Mayo gave his thoughts about a possible mutiny before the Dolphins clash. “My focus is definitely on the Dolphins 100%. I haven’t heard that. That’s journalism for you. I haven’t heard that. I try not to pay attention to that stuff,” he said on the Greg Hill show a day later.

Following Lazar’s comments, several players were approached by media outlets for their take on the rumor. Many of them chose to remain anonymous with one addressing the rumors saying, “That’s bulls–t.” However, Peppers outright asked to go on record to answer the question. He said, “He has the locker room. That’s never going to be an issue around here.”

Well, after stirring up controversy in New England, Lazar seemingly addressed the situation, “I’ll fully admit I got a little carried away today on the podcast. The word I used mutiny like, there’s no mutiny in the Patriots locker room. And, like I said, I got carried away, and that was my bad. You know, that’s not what was going on.” Although Lazar may have retracted his mutiny comment, the Patriots didn’t get any better with Brissett starting in New England.

Well, the Pats fans new this was going to be a transitional season for them, yet seeing their team mired in off-field controversy will do their faith more harm than good at the moment.