If you have a problem with New York Giants kicker Josh Brown’s domestic violence allegations and short one-game suspension, then don’t expect John Mara to hear your grievances.
The Giants president spoke to the media about Brown on Wednesday, saying the team has no plans to cut Brown in the wake of news about his domestic violence arrest on May 22, 2015. In fact, the Giants knew about the arrest — and the 20 other alleged domestic violence incidents his ex-wife reported at the time of the arrest — and still re-signed the kicker to a two-year contract this offseason.
“Nothing has happened in the meantime to make us question that decision,” Mara said of re-signing Brown, per the New York Daily News. “This is an issue, domestic violence, that we take very seriously here. In this particular case, as an employer, it’s a complicated and emotional issue, and you have to make decisions based on the facts and circumstances that are presented.”
Brown’s misdemeanor domestic violence charge was dropped five days after his arrest, but one day later, his ex-wife, Molly Brown, came forward about the other alleged 20-plus incidents. While the NFL found enough evidence to suspend Brown, albeit for one game instead of the new minimum of six, the Giants apparently didn’t.
“One thing that you learn when you’re dealing with these issues is that there’s a big difference between allegations and convictions or indictments,” Mara said. “And it’s very difficult sometimes to sort through all that and make informed decisions. We attempted to make an informed decision. We’ll live with the result of that decision and we move forward.
“A lot of times there’s a tendency to try to make these cases black and white. They are very rarely black and white. You very rarely have a Ray Rice video. There are allegations made, you try to sort through the facts, you try to make an informed decision. That’s what we did.”
Mara said at this point, any changes made to Brown’s status on the team will be “a football decision.”
Thumbnail photo via Jim O’Connor/USA TODAY Sports Images
