The New York Giants announced Tuesday they have released kicker Josh Brown.
The Giants released the following statement from team president John Mara:
"We believed we did the right thing at every juncture in our relationship with Josh," said Mara. "Our beliefs, our judgments and our decisions were misguided. We accept that responsibility.
"We hope that Josh will continue to dedicate himself to rehabilitation, and to becoming a better person and father. We will continue to support him in his efforts to continue counseling, and we hope that Josh and his family can find peace and a positive resolution.
"We have great respect and feel strongly about our support for the good people who work tirelessly and unconditionally to aid the victims of domestic violence and who bring awareness to the issue. We have been partners with My Sisters' Place (a domestic violence shelter and advocate based in Westchester, New York) for nearly 20 years. The leadership of that organization has provided invaluable insight as we have considered our decisions in this matter. We value and respect their opinion, and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the future."
Last week NFL.com obtained more than 165 pages worth of documents from the King County (Washington) Sheriff's Office which detail Brown's 2015 arrest. It includes a signed document in which he admitted to physically, verbally and emotionally abusing his then-wife, Molly Brown. Further documentation obtained by NFL.com details Josh Brown allegedly violating a restraining order, three 911 calls Molly Brown made and the difficulty prosecutors encountered in trying to get her to cooperate with them in their investigation.
Josh Brown released the following statement through the Giants in conjunction with his release. (Brown released a separate statement to ESPN earlier Tuesday before the Giants announced Brown's release.)
"The road to rehabilitation is a journey and a constant modification of a way of life," Brown said. "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. I am sorry that my past has called into question the character or integrity of The New York Giants, Mr. Mara or any of those who have supported me along the way. In the coming days and weeks I plan on telling more of the pain I had caused and the measures taken to get help so I may be the voice of change and not a statistic. 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."
Brown was placed on the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt List on Friday while the NFL looks into new information in the documents released last week. Brown did not travel with the Giants to their Week 7 game in London.
NFL Network Ian Rapoport said Brown may enter into a player contract with a new team but upon doing so the kicker will revert to the Commissioner's Exempt List pending resolution of his matter under the personal conduct policy. While on the Commissioner's Exempt List, Brown would not be able to practice or attend games.
Brown was suspended one game to start the season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
