Another NFL Season-Another NFL Player Tied To Domestic Violence
Earlier this year, NFL fans were shocked to learn that New York Giants kicker, Josh Brown not only was arrested for domestic violence in May 2015, but was given a mere 1-game suspension this season, following an NFL investigation into the matter. Brown was upset by the suspension, stating that he did not agree with it, but that he would accept it. He also had the support of his boss, New York Giant’s owner John Mara, who defended his kicker in August of this year “as a man, a father, and a player,” and said the team was comfortable re-signing him during the offseason to a two-year, $4 million deal.
Today, we learn much more about Josh Brown and his volatile relationship with his ex-wife Molly, but not through law enforcement. We learn about Josh Brown’s violence through his own journals released and reported widely on by national media outlets. With this newest information, it will likely be much more difficult for Brown’s supporters to remain by his side. In one of his journal entries, Brown writes that he has been abusing women since he was seven years old and that this led to the abuse of his then wife Molly.
“I have been a horrible husband and stepfather,” Brown wrote in one of his journal entries.
“I have abused my wife,” read another entry with the words underlined and circled.
“Because I never handled these underlying issues I became an abuser and hurt [my wife] physically, emotionally and verbally,” Brown wrote in another document. “I viewed myself as God basically and she was my slave.”
Giants spokesman Corry Rush declined comment Thursday morning on the newly uncovered details. But, according to the New York Post, the Giants had not seen and were not aware of the Josh Brown documents that surfaced yesterday. These revelations are new to the Giants.
The NFL issued a statement Thursday afternoon that it has reopened the investigation of Brown based on the documents revealed Wednesday night. It remains a question why they did not uncover the depth and breadth of the situation during their initial investigation into the May 2015 incident — or any of the other 20 incidents of domestic violence that Molly Brown alleged at that time.
Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reported Thursday that the NFL and the Giants are discussing further punishment for Brown. One possibility is an indefinite suspension for Brown.
Josh Brown comes two years after Ray Rice punched his wife in the face in an elevator in Atlantic City and also on the heels of Greg Hardy, who, in 2014, allegedly threw his girlfriend on a bed filled with assault rifles and choked her until she begged for her life. The NFL has supposedly instituted a tougher policy when it comes to domestic violence and its players. Somehow, they seemed to have missed the boat on Josh Brown and it remains unclear what repercussions he may face in light of this new evidence.
According to Nancy Armour of USAToday Sports, even though the NFL now says it will “thoroughly review the additional information and determine next steps in the context of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy and while the league may lengthen Brown’s suspension, the opportunity to send a strong message that domestic violence is intolerable came and went in August.
Ironically, October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Are you experiencing domestic abuse by your spouse or partner? You can get help and you can be safe. In an emergency, call 911. For safe house shelter information and to be connected with local resources, call the NJ Domestic Violence Hotline at 1 (800) 572-SAFE (7233). To understand your legal rights and options, including filing for a temporary restraining order, and temporary alimony and child support, our trusted family law attorneys are here for you. Please contact us to schedule your initial confidential consultation.
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