Who is Jabrill Peppers? In the heartbreaking childhood of the 30 million dollar patriots, whose father went to prison when he was seven and whose brother was shot

New England Patriots secure Jabrill Peppers appeared in court Monday morning after he allegedly slammed his on-off girlfriend's head against a wall and threw her down the stairs.

The Patriots star is a team leader and made it into the league while dealing with his father's arrest and his brother's tragic death.

Now Peppers is at the center of a saga in which he maintains his innocence – even as his lawyers say they have evidence to back it up.

Here, DailyMail.com brings you all the information you need to know about this case and the football star said to be at the center of it.

Jabrill Peppers was charged with multiple charges – including assault and battery

Peppers is a team captain and star safety for the New England Patriots with a $30 million contract

Who is Jabrill Peppers?

Peppers is a team captain and safety for the New England Patriots and played for the team for three seasons.

After a promising college career at the University of Michigan, he has been in the NFL for eight seasons.

Peppers is currently in the first year of a three-year, $30 million contract ($24 million + $6 million signing bonus) that he signed with New England back in July.

So far this season, Peppers has the third-most tackles on the team (23) and one of the Patriots' two interceptions.

Peppers has been playing in New England for three seasons – on his third NFL stop

He just signed a three-year deal worth $24 million in July – with a $6 million signing bonus

What are the allegations?

The incident in question occurred around 4 a.m. on the morning of October 5, the day after Peppers celebrated his 29th birthday in the South Shore suburb of Boston, Braintree.

According to police documents obtained by DailyMail.com, the security guard allegedly became violent towards her after she received a phone call that he “didn't like” during sex.

Peppers then allegedly asked her to leave his apartment before pushing her head against the wall and putting his hands around her neck – all while both were still naked.

According to court documents, the Patriots' team captain then allegedly pushed her down a flight of stairs before soon throwing down her purse and cellphone.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found scratches on the woman's kneecaps and a reddened forehead area.

Peppers was accused of pushing his girlfriend's head against a wall and putting his hands around her neck before throwing her down a flight of stairs at his Braintree apartment complex

What is his answer?

Peppers pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Monday morning in Quincy District Court – where he was ordered to stay away from the victim.

Both Peppers and the alleged victim have given different accounts of that evening's events.

While Peppers did not speak as he left court, his lawyer told reporters: “He will not comment now, but what I said in the courtroom I will repeat.” “We have evidence that completely contradicts the alleged victim's story, and I expect my client to be fully exonerated.”

Asked if it was video evidence, he added: “Yes, and other evidence too.”

According to court documents, Peppers maintained his innocence at the alleged crime scene and claimed the woman “became angry with him when he refused to have unprotected sex with her.”

Police noted, “According to Jabrill, (the woman) continued to behave erratically and refused to leave.” According to Jabrill, (the woman) fell on the stairs alone because she was drunk. He denied pushing her down the stairs and said she made the allegations to destroy his career.

Peppers maintains his innocence – and his lawyers claim they have evidence to support it

Peppers claims the woman fell down the stairs because she was drunk

What did the Patriots say?

A Patriots spokesman released a statement after news of Peppers' arrest broke on Monday.

“We are aware of an incident involving Jabrill Peppers over the weekend which police are currently investigating. “We will have no further comment at this time,” the statement said.

Speaking to WEEI Radio, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Peppers called him the morning of the arrest to inform him of the incident.

When asked if Peppers was still on the team, Mayo said, “I don't think anyone knows the facts or anything like that. 'I mean, it's a process.'

Peppers was listed as inactive by the Patriots prior to their game on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

The Patriots said they were aware of the situation and had no further comment

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Peppers called him the morning after the arrest

What is his family history?

A native of northern New Jersey, Peppers was raised by his mother, Ivory Bryant.

His father, Terry Peppers, was an active part of Jabrill's life until he was arrested when Jabrill was seven years old. Terry was arrested after being charged with racketeering as a result of his membership in the Bloods street gang. He was released from prison in 2014.

Jabrill experienced further tragedy with the death of his older brother Don Curtis in January 2010, when he was shot at the counter of the Lucky Joy Restaurant in Newark, New Jersey.

Despite these obstacles, Peppers maintained a 3.8 grade point average through high school stints at athletic powerhouse Don Bosco Prep and Paramus Catholic High School.

Peppers was raised by his mother after his father was arrested for extortion

Additionally, Peppers lost his brother to gun violence when he was just 10 years old

What is his professional career?

After being rated five stars out of high school, Peppers went to Michigan and had a successful college career – where he finished fifth in the Heisman voting his senior year.

He was selected 25th overall in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns – where he spent his first two seasons in the league.

In March 2019, Peppers was involved in a trade in which the Browns signed then-star New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham and Olivier Vernon were shipped to Cleveland. In return, New York Peppers forward Kevin Zeitler received a third-round pick and a first-round pick to be used to draft star pass rusher Dexter Lawrence.

After a strong athletic and academic high school career, he played college ball at Michigan

Peppers was then selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 25th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft

He was then traded to the New York Giants in a blockbuster trade in 2019

In his back yard, Peppers suffered an injury in Week 11 of his first of three seasons with the Giants in 2019. While the second year was more successful, the third year suffered a season-ending injury in the form of a torn ACL in Week 7.

Peppers then moved to New England for the 2022 season and signed a one-year contract to play in Foxborough, where he has lived since.

During his time in the league, Peppers has totaled 494 tackles (including 322 solo tackles), two interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.