What Jerod Mayo said about NFL’s decision to place Jabrill Peppers on Commissioner’s exempt list

"I just want to be clear that really any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us," Mayo said.

Patriots coach Jerod Mayo opened his press conference Wednesday morning with a statement about safety Jabrill Peppers.

Peppers, who is facing charges of strangulation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a family/household member, and possession of a Class B substance, has been placed on the NFL Commissioner’s exempt list.

Players who are on the list remain on the roster, but cannot practice or play in games.

“Just to start off, on Jabrill [Peppers], I just want to be clear that really any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us,” Mayo said. “As a team, no matter if you’re a player, staff member, we’re wholeheartedly against any type of domestic violence.

“I know the organization’s position, which I fully support,” Mayo added. “With that being said, I do think that Jabrill has to go through the system, has to continue to go through a due process, and we’ll see how that works out.”

Mayo said the league’s decision to place Peppers on the exempt list will buy the Patriots time to decide how they will handle the situation as more information is gathered. Peppers pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the investigation is ongoing.

Mayo said Peppers will not be in the building with the team in the near term.

“As a father of three daughters, I definitely understand the seriousness of the allegations, and hopefully, they’re not true,” Mayo said. “But we’ll see. Like I said earlier, we’ll go through that due process.”

Mayo said Peppers called him on the day of his arrest and that the team notified the league of the situation.

Police responded to a disturbance at Peppers’s home early Saturday morning. Peppers missed the game on Sunday with a shoulder injury. Then, on Monday, police announced the arrest. Peppers was arraigned on Monday and has a hearing scheduled for Nov. 22.

Cornerback Jonathan Jones said he he has reached out to Peppers since the arrest.

“I have reached out,’ Jones said. “But I’m just letting everything play out, just allowing him to deal with everything that he has going on at this time.”

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.