The New York Giants are reinstating kicker Josh Brown after his one game NFL suspension. Normally this would not be big news to those of us who aren't Giants fans, however in this instance this is very interesting. Sadly it's interesting for all the wrong reasons.
Brown is in the news because he was arrested for being abusive towards his now ex-wife. She has accused him of violence against her, her daughter and her two sons from another marriage on no less than 20 occasions. He has violated a protective order placed by a court of law on him several times, including once where he was arrested for this act. Among the more harrowing details, documented diligently by this Deadspin article, are repeated emotional abuses, verbal and physical assault on her sons and, most chillingly of all, attacking her physically while she was pregnant with their daughter.
Josh Brown can stand in front of reporters and act brave and sum his abusive behavior up by calling it 'Just a moment' (literally how he has defined 20 plus assault allegations, restraining orders and his own admission that he was at fault), but all that does is show he is not repentant for his actions and should not be of gainful employ in the NFL, in a league that allegedly champions integrity above everything.
If you bother to read through the quotes and details Brown is clearly a broken idiot, a dangerous coward, and doesn't really deserve column inches. What's really saddening and disappointing is the actions, or lack of same, of the NFL and the New York Giants, and, to a lesser extent, some of the press.
First to the latter. Mostly the media are busy reporting this from a football perspective, with little or often no reference to Molly Brown, Josh's ex wife, the lady who he abused emotionally and physically over a number of years, by his own admission.
One article, on something called 'Giants Wire' goes as far to implicitly blame Molly Brown for the situation, saying;
Molly Brown defended herself on one occasion and the idiot who wrote the above deems that fit to print in the context that Brown himself has admitted to attacking, emotionally and physically, his smaller, more fragile wife on multiple occasions? Pretty pathetic stuff.
Thankfully some of the media, not just Deadspin, are taking this seriously. Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News writes;
''The NFL suspended Brown for one game, a pathetic slap on the wrist but nonetheless an acknowledgment of his wrongdoing.''
That's of key importance to note. The NFL wouldn't have suspended Brown had they not thought he was guilty. The suspension is a clear message that yes, he was an abusive coward who attacked his ex wife.
That's where the real issues start. If someone is guilty of physical abuse of their spouse, is the NFL really saying that all that is worth is a one game ban? This is a league that pontificates about integrity at every given opportunity, a league that famously bans players four games for being 'generally aware' of tampering with footballs.
Finally, the Giants.
The Giants claim they have conducted their own investigation and with that in mind they say they are comfortable with their decision to sign Brown to a two-year, $4 million contract this spring. They are comfortable with hiring a man who has beaten emotionally and physically his then-pregnant wife? That's an unusual thing to be 'comfortable' with.
I don't know why they think it's important to justify this ugly lack of judgement on their part with a glib throwaway comment about their 'own investigation', perhaps the Giants need to be reminded that the court of law and indeed even the NFL are superior to them in handing down judgements and in both of these situations Brown has been deemed guilty of his actions.
I suppose we shouldn't be shocked that Eli Manning has come steaming out, full speed, in defense of Brown, this is a Manning we're talking about here;
“I’m glad to have Josh back. Support him and support your teammates through everything that goes on. Good to have him back on the team and kicking for us this week,”
You're glad, are you Eli? You're glad to have a man back who kicked and punched his pregnant wife? You're glad to have a man back who intimidated a small family over the course of years with threats of violence? That's something you're glad about?
Overall, where are we on this one? Well, the Giants and the NFL have basically taken a look at the Josh Brown situation, where he has repeatedly, over a number of years, emotionally and physically abused his ex wife and her children, and said they are 'comfortable' with that. Eli Manning has gone on record saying he supports this abusive, cowardly thug. Some publications are looking to place the blame on a frail, tiny woman who suffered for years at the hands of this cretin.
Where are we? We're probably exactly where you would expect us to be, in a society that's okay with this abusive, cowardly Neanderthal being rolled out on a weekly basis to play football.
We're exactly where you would fully expect, in this World.
Brown is in the news because he was arrested for being abusive towards his now ex-wife. She has accused him of violence against her, her daughter and her two sons from another marriage on no less than 20 occasions. He has violated a protective order placed by a court of law on him several times, including once where he was arrested for this act. Among the more harrowing details, documented diligently by this Deadspin article, are repeated emotional abuses, verbal and physical assault on her sons and, most chillingly of all, attacking her physically while she was pregnant with their daughter.
Josh Brown can stand in front of reporters and act brave and sum his abusive behavior up by calling it 'Just a moment' (literally how he has defined 20 plus assault allegations, restraining orders and his own admission that he was at fault), but all that does is show he is not repentant for his actions and should not be of gainful employ in the NFL, in a league that allegedly champions integrity above everything.
If you bother to read through the quotes and details Brown is clearly a broken idiot, a dangerous coward, and doesn't really deserve column inches. What's really saddening and disappointing is the actions, or lack of same, of the NFL and the New York Giants, and, to a lesser extent, some of the press.
First to the latter. Mostly the media are busy reporting this from a football perspective, with little or often no reference to Molly Brown, Josh's ex wife, the lady who he abused emotionally and physically over a number of years, by his own admission.
One article, on something called 'Giants Wire' goes as far to implicitly blame Molly Brown for the situation, saying;
''As more and more information on the Brown’s strained relationship came out, it was eventually revealed that Josh had been on the receiving end of domestic violence himself, with Molly having allegedly kicked him in the ribs during one particular dispute.''
Molly Brown defended herself on one occasion and the idiot who wrote the above deems that fit to print in the context that Brown himself has admitted to attacking, emotionally and physically, his smaller, more fragile wife on multiple occasions? Pretty pathetic stuff.
Thankfully some of the media, not just Deadspin, are taking this seriously. Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News writes;
''The NFL suspended Brown for one game, a pathetic slap on the wrist but nonetheless an acknowledgment of his wrongdoing.''
That's of key importance to note. The NFL wouldn't have suspended Brown had they not thought he was guilty. The suspension is a clear message that yes, he was an abusive coward who attacked his ex wife.
That's where the real issues start. If someone is guilty of physical abuse of their spouse, is the NFL really saying that all that is worth is a one game ban? This is a league that pontificates about integrity at every given opportunity, a league that famously bans players four games for being 'generally aware' of tampering with footballs.
Finally, the Giants.
The Giants claim they have conducted their own investigation and with that in mind they say they are comfortable with their decision to sign Brown to a two-year, $4 million contract this spring. They are comfortable with hiring a man who has beaten emotionally and physically his then-pregnant wife? That's an unusual thing to be 'comfortable' with.
I don't know why they think it's important to justify this ugly lack of judgement on their part with a glib throwaway comment about their 'own investigation', perhaps the Giants need to be reminded that the court of law and indeed even the NFL are superior to them in handing down judgements and in both of these situations Brown has been deemed guilty of his actions.
I suppose we shouldn't be shocked that Eli Manning has come steaming out, full speed, in defense of Brown, this is a Manning we're talking about here;
“I’m glad to have Josh back. Support him and support your teammates through everything that goes on. Good to have him back on the team and kicking for us this week,”
You're glad, are you Eli? You're glad to have a man back who kicked and punched his pregnant wife? You're glad to have a man back who intimidated a small family over the course of years with threats of violence? That's something you're glad about?
Overall, where are we on this one? Well, the Giants and the NFL have basically taken a look at the Josh Brown situation, where he has repeatedly, over a number of years, emotionally and physically abused his ex wife and her children, and said they are 'comfortable' with that. Eli Manning has gone on record saying he supports this abusive, cowardly thug. Some publications are looking to place the blame on a frail, tiny woman who suffered for years at the hands of this cretin.
Where are we? We're probably exactly where you would expect us to be, in a society that's okay with this abusive, cowardly Neanderthal being rolled out on a weekly basis to play football.
We're exactly where you would fully expect, in this World.
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