NFL
defends handling of Josh Brown domestic abuse case
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[October 22, 2016]
By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The National
Football League on Friday defended its handling of a domestic
violence case against Josh Brown, but temporarily barred the New
York Giants kicker from games and practices after newly released
documents showed his then-wife accused him of a years-long pattern
of physical and emotional abuse.
The NFL suspended Brown in August for one game following his arrest
in May 2015, when his then-wife, Molly, told police he grabbed her
by the wrist during a heated argument at their home in Woodinville,
Washington.
But in documents the King County Sheriff's Office released on
Wednesday, Molly Brown said the Giants player had been physically
abusive toward her more than 20 times. The documents also included
journals and written statements by Brown in which he admits to being
abusive.
The NFL's response to the case is a test of its tougher stance on
domestic abuse and players' personal conduct more broadly after the
league admitted in 2014 to mishandling domestic violence
allegations, including the famous case against Ray Rice of the
Baltimore Ravens.
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Facing a crisis in America's most popular sports league, a chastened
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell assured the American public that the
new policy would be comprehensive and tough.
After the new documents on the Brown case surfaced, NFL spokesman
Brian McCarthy said on Thursday that the league would "thoroughly
review" the new information.
And on Friday, the NFL placed Brown on the Commissioner Exempt list,
which forbids him from attending practices and games on a temporary
basis while the league investigates the case.
Social media users and bloggers have accused the league of enforcing
a suspension that was too lenient given the scope of the accusations
and said the league should have investigated the Brown case more
carefully.
NFL spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz said on Twitter on Friday,
however, that "four different individuals working for the NFL"
contacted the King County police seeking information during the
league's investigation and were denied access to the evidence.
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![](../images/102216pics/sports45.jpg)
Giants kicker Josh Brown (3) kicks a field goal during the first
quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
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King County police Sergeant Cindy West told Reuters the sheriff's
office does not release case details to businesses or private
citizens while they are still open and that the detective closed
"her end of the case."
"The detective determined that it was unlikely the victim would
testify," West told Reuters. "Without her testimony there's no way
we could go to trial."
The couple has since divorced, according to media reports.
Brown's agent did not immediately return a call requesting comment
and a spokeswoman for the NFL Players Association declined a request
for comment.
The Giants said the kicker did not travel with the team for its
Sunday game against the Los Angeles Rams in London and that the team
said it would "revisit this issue" following the trip.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Mary Milliken)
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