Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers works out during OTAs at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers works out during OTAs at Gillette Stadium.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH — Following Wednesday’s OTA session on the practice field behind Gillette Stadium, Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers expressed relief over his January acquittal for a domestic violence charge.
In the case, a woman accused Peppers of choking her, slamming her head against a wall, and throwing her down a flight of stairs. Peppers was acquitted on charges of strangulation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a family or household member.
“I’m just happy it’s over with, and I get to get back to doing what I love to do,” Peppers said. “It was a learning experience. I learned a lot from it.”
Peppers missed seven games after being put on the Commissioner’s exempt list following the incident. He was removed from the list Nov. 25; however, because of injuries, he appeared in just two of the Patriots final five games as New England struggled to a 4-13 finish.
Pepper, who hasn’t played for a team that finished above .500 in his eight seasons in the league, was asked if he considered 2025 a fresh start, given all that has happened over the last couple of years.
“I think every year in the league is a fresh start,” Peppers said. “No matter how well you do, or how bad you do, if you’re lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit in one of these seats, year in and year out, that’s more opportunity to prove yourself.
“I always look forward to that, whether I do well or whether the year didn’t go the way I wanted it to.”
While the Patriots have turned over the roster at several other defensive positions, there’s certainly some stability at the safety spot, as the 29-year-old Peppers and figures to join veteran Kyle Dugger as a starting tandem for another year in 2025.
Head coach Mike Vrabel sounded a positive note about the duo — and the position — heading into a new season.
“I like the people. I like the players,” Vrabel said. “You haven’t seen Dugger on the field just because he’s working through something, which is not uncommon in the spring.
“I love Jabrill’s energy. I like his passion for the game. I like his energy when he comes in the building. Those things are all very positive.”
Peppers has some history with Vrabel. The defensive back, who ended up at Michigan, recalled when Vrabel tried to recruit him to Ohio State.
“I didn’t know he used to play some tight end back when (Tom) Brady was here,” Peppers said with a smile. “He told me to line up. I was like, ‘He’s a linebacker, he ain’t got too much.’ And he routed me up and caught the ball. That’s one of the first things he said to me when he got here.”
Spillane high on defense
Both Peppers and linebacker Robert Spillane were upbeat when asked about the state of the defense, another workout where it looked like their group was ahead of the offense.
After the defense picked off Drake Maye four times last week, they got the quarterback once on Wednesday when defensive back Miles Battle notched an early takeaway with a pick-6 that set off a celebration.
“We’re just getting started,” Peppers said. “But I can tell that everyone’s hungry. Everyone’s bought into the new identity. We’re going to do whatever we’ve got to do to get that bad taste out of our mouths.”
“I strive to be the best teammate I can be every day. We got 11 guys doing that, playing for each other, running to the ball, effort and finishing on every play,” Spillane said. “We’re going to have a good year.”
Andrews to retire
The Patriots have called a press conference for Monday at 3:30 p.m. to announce the retirement of offensive lineman David Andrews. The former undrafted free agent, who played 10 years with New England, was a part of three Super Bowl winners, and was voted a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team. He was released earlier in the offseason.
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Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him @cpriceglobe.