For a corporation that has rolled back their sleeves and work diligently to clean up their public perception over the years, the NFL just can’t seem to catch a break. In reality, they’ve done it to themselves.
This the same NFL that handled the Ray Rice domestic abuse case back in 2014 fairly quickly in a time when most knew that it was done exceedingly quick to save face and not tarnish the reputation of the league in the public eye. The current case of New York Giants kicker Josh Brown deserves the same amount of expeditious action.
Let’s review the timeline of events for Brown shall we:
In 2013, Brown’s wife, Molly, obtained a court order for protection against Brown which was later dropped.
In 2014, Brown admitted to close friends via handwritten letter that he abused Molly on numerous occasions.
In May of 2015, Brown was arrested and charged with 4th-degree assault and domestic violence.
In August of this year, Brown was suspended a resounding ONE game for his violation of the NFL’s conduct policy.
So let me get this straight. A kicker who has constructed a string of events such as that alongside allegedly 20 more physical assaults over the years, as well as documentation via journal entries and emails from Brown where he has admitted to abusing his wife, on top of police documentation where Brown has admitted to being abusive to the opposite gender since the age of 7, and to this date, Brown has only one game of punishment as a result of his sick and twisted mainframe.
What I take from this is not only were the Giants lackluster in keeping tabs on clear evidence, but the NFL plants the flag of injustice in a situation that looks a lot worse than what happened with Ray Rice in 2014.
Please, I repeat, PLEASE do not read my words and assume I am in any way justifying Rice’s actions. They were wrong and in every way did he pretty much commit career suicide. What I will say about Rice is this, he has served his time. Not in the jail cell based on the charges being dropped, but his life has changed dramatically since 2014 and it may never be the same again.
So why does it seem as if Brown is going unscathed? I don’t want to hear the whole “Rice was caught on tape” rhetoric. That is already clear. Yet, Brown ADMITTED to abusing his wife in emails, journal entries, and police documentation. ADMITTED. To me and many others, a truthful confession is just as prominent as video footage. What else more is needed? Yet this entire development also has the makeup of an incident swept under the rug.
Even with all of that, Brown doesn’t deserve to even put on Giants apparel let alone a jersey and cleats with the privilege of kicking field goals. The injustice here is alarming. This man has been noted by putting his wife through that physical and mental torture for years and yet, he’s still able to collect game checks.
While he’s collecting game checks, the NFL can also take half of your check if you dance after scoring a touchdown. Makes absolutely no sense if you ask me.
Much was expected from the Giants organization as well as the NFL but instead both parties have dropped the ball. Josh Brown has created a trail of domestic violence and according to an updated domestic violence policy from, the NFL, it calls for a suspension of six games without pay for first-time domestic violence offenders. The hammer dropped on Rice in 2014 was swift and played itself out in a matter of a few months, but in this particular situation, the NFL has placed more effort and time in finding out if New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took air out of the football than it has on figuring out why a kicker is putting his wife through physical, mental, and emotional hell. Brown’s pattern is disturbing and why the NFL and the Giants were careless with it all is beyond me.
