Massachusetts prosecutors to drop charge against Patriots' Christian Barmore

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ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts prosecutors said Monday that they will drop a domestic assault and battery charge against New England Patriots defensive lineman Christian J. Barmore because they do not believe they can prove their case.

Barmore, 26, appeared in Attleboro District Court with his legal team but did not speak in the courtroom and did not answer reporters' questions.

A criminal complaint had said Barmore briefly took his girlfriend’s phone, threw her to the floor and grabbed her by the shirt last year during an Aug. 8 argument at his home in Mansfield outside Boston. The woman told Mansfield police she reported the incident on Aug. 25, nearly three weeks after it occurred. She provided officers with a photo showing bruising she said happened when she was thrown to the floor, according to the complaint.

However, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III told reporters that the woman who made the complaint did not want to travel out of state for the case. He also pointed out that Barmore wasn't arrested when the complaint was initially made, which he said was significant.

Barmore’s lawyer, David Meier, has denied that any crime occurred.

“The evidence will demonstrate that no criminal conduct took place,” Meier said in a previous statement, calling the matter a personal dispute he expects will be resolved.

The Patriots previously said they were aware of the situation and had notified the NFL.