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The New York Giants released embattled Josh Brown on Tuesday, stemming from the situation in which his ex-wife said she was physically abused more than 20 times by the 37-year-old kicker. Brown was placed on the exempt list on Friday when the NFL decided it wished to further investigate his May 22, 2015 arrest on domestic violence charges. The Giants took it a step further by cutting ties with Brown just four days later.
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"We believed we did the right thing at every juncture in our relationship with Josh," team president John Mara said in a statement. "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, N.Y.) 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."
The Giants' decision to move on from Brown came just hours after the veteran released a statement in which he apologized for his actions. He said he was getting help for his troubles and denied ex-wife Molly Brown's accusations of the more than 20 physical incidents.
"I am sorry that my past has called into question the character or integrity of The New York Giants, Mr. Mara (owner John Mara) or any of those who have supported me along the way," Brown said in the statement. "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."
Brown was initially suspended for one game because of the May, 2015 incident with Molly Brown. He played in New York's next five games but didn't travel with the team to London for Sunday's game after new documents were released by authorities from the state of Washington on Wednesday.
The Giants signed former Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould to kick against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Brown's situation has created a lightning rod of controversy for the NFL, and it flared up again Wednesday after the new stream of documents were released.
In the documents, Brown admitted to domestic violence against Molly Brown via letter, email and journal entries. In one entry he wrote, "I have abused my wife."
The documents were part of the final case file by King County Sheriff's Office for Brown, who was charged with assault in the fourth degree/domestic violence after an incident with his ex-wife.
It was during that investigation that Brown's ex-wife told police that he had been physically violent with her on more than 20 instances over the past several years.
In a 2013 "Contract for Change," signed by Josh Brown, Molly Brown and counselor Jerry Price, the kicker admitted that he had physically, verbally and emotionally abused his then-wife.
"I have been a liar for most of my life," Brown wrote in one journal entry, according to the police documents released Wednesday. "I made selfish decisions to use and abuse women starting at the age of 7 to fill this void. I objectified women and never really worried about the pain and hurt I caused them. My ability to connect emotionally to other people was zero. My empathy levels were zero.
"Because I never handled these underlying issues I became an abuser and hurt Molly physically, emotionally and verbally. I viewed myself as God basically and she was my slave."
In the 2015 incident, Brown was arrested for allegedly grabbing the wrist of his now ex-wife in a heated dispute at a home the couple shared in Woodinville, Wash.
The Giants still signed Brown to a two-year, $4 million extension this offseason.
The NFL's domestic violence policy has a six-game baseline for first offenses, but allows for different lengths of punishment should mitigating circumstances allow.
