Stefon Diggs returns to Patriots practice for first time since yacht controversy

Stefon Diggs was back at New England Patriots practice on Monday for the first time since his absence last week made waves following viral video of him at a yacht party.

Diggs waved to media with his helmet on and jogged onto the field after delivering a brief greeting to reporters.

"Nice to see y'all," Diggs said toward the multiple cameras that were trained on him.

Diggs then ran drills with his teammates as a limited practice participant.

His appearance at Patriots practice was his first since his notable absence last week.

Diggs showing up or not showing up to voluntary organized team activities generally wouldn't garner much attention. There's no holdout here. The veteran wide receiver is playing on a new, three-year, $69 million contract that he signed to join the Patriots this offseason.

But his absence arrived after multiple videos from Memorial Day weekend surfaced of Diggs at a yacht party. One of those videos features Diggs surrounded by women and handing out a baggie with unidentified contents.

As Diggs was absent from practice on Wednesday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel faced a question regarding Diggs and "a certain substance that people are guessing what is and what isn't."

Here's how Vrabel responded:

"It's something that we're aware of," Vrabel said. "And obviously we want to make great decisions on and off the field. And we're hoping with our time here on the field today and that when we don't have a script and we're on the call periods that we're making great decisions.

"And so the message will be the same for all our players, that we're trying to make great decisions. And any conversations that I've had with Stefon will remain between him and I and the club."

Vrabel was true to his word. Any conversations that he had with Diggs have remained private. There's been no light shed on contents of the bag that Diggs handed out and no further word from the Patriots about what was discussed between Diggs and team management. The NFL has not commented on any potential league discipline.

And other that his brief greeting to reporters on Monday, Diggs has not spoken with media since the yacht party.

Diggs, 31, will play his first season in New England in 2025. Diggs played a single season with the Houston Texans in 2024 after previously playing for the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings. He's coming off an ACL tear that limited him to eight games last season. Diggs made the Pro Bowl after each of the four seasons prior to his stint with Houston.

Diggs is reportedly ahead of schedule in his recovery and on track to be ready for the start of the regular season, where he'll join an offense featuring second-year quarterback Drake Maye. As of Wednesday, all signs pointed to things being back to normal at Patriots practice as Diggs integrates himself with his new team.