UPDATE (2:35 p.m. ET): The New York Giants officially released Josh Brown on Tuesday, shortly after he released a statement apologizing for his actions but denying he physically abused his wife.
ORIGINAL STORY: Josh Brown finally broke his silence Tuesday, but he might have done himself more harm than good.
The New York Giants kicker, who has been at the center of ugly allegations of abuse against his ex-wife, released a statement via ESPN’s Adam Schefter apologizing for his actions.
“I am sorry that my past has called into question the character or integrity of The New York Giants, (team owner John) Mara or any of those who have supported me along the way,” Brown’s statement read, via Schefter’s Facebook page. “I have taken measures to get help so that I may be the voice of change, not a statistic. It is important to share that I never struck my wife, and never would.”
“Abuse takes many forms, and is not a gray area. Through the past several years I have worked to identify and rectify my own behaviors. The road to rehabilitation is a journey and a constant modification of a way of life. My journey will continue forever as a person determined to leave a positive legacy and I embrace the opportunities to show and speak about what has helped me to be that man.
“In the interim, I am cooperating with the Giants and the NFL. Thank you to everyone that has supported me, I will not let you down.”
The most puzzling part of Brown’s statement is his insistence that he never struck his ex-wife. Brown admitted to abusing her in documents released as part of the investigation into his 2015 domestic violence charge, and his ex-wife recently alleged he had been violent with her more than 20 times.
Brown was suspended for the first game of the 2016 season but still is on the Giants’ roster. He was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list last week, though, and didn’t travel with the team to London for its Week 7 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.
Thumbnail photo via Andrew Weber/USA TODAY Sports Images
