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NFL Reopens Investigation Into Giants K Josh Brown In Wake Of Domestic Violence Admission

The NFL has "reopened its investigation" of Giants K Josh Brown, who in police documents admitted to abusing his ex-wife, and Brown did not travel with the team to London for its game on Sunday, according to Leonard & Walder of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Brown served a one-game suspension to start the season after being arrested on domestic violence charges in '15. Giants President & CEO John Mara on Thursday during an appearance on WFAN said, "The short term decision is he’s going to be inactive. The long term decision is still pending." Mara admitted that Brown had previously "told the team of his past abuse." Mara "stood by his decision in August to continue to employ Brown even though the kicker had admitted to abusing his wife." He said, "I’m still comfortable with that decision." Mara also said that the team was "aware of an incident at last year’s Pro Bowl" in which Brown's then-wife Molly "accused her husband of being drunk and trying to get into her room, prompting her to call NFL and hotel security and switch rooms." Mara speculated that Brown could "end up on the commissioner’s exempt list." He added that the team is "trying to gather more information and that it could make its own decision about Brown’s long-term status before the league’s reopened investigation is concluded" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/21). Mara also revealed Thursday that the organization "never spoke to Brown's ex-wife prior to re-signing him" in the offseason (USA TODAY, 10/21).

BOBBLED BALL: In N.Y., Mike Vaccaro writes the news that Brown would not travel to London arrived around 5:00pm ET, "a few hours after he had been allowed to practice with the team." That allows "only one logical conclusion: The Giants spent the day monitoring the outrage and the backlash before ultimately doing the only decent thing they could do." Vaccaro: "In short, it sure looks like they were shamed into it ... The Giants are run by good people who try to do the right thing -- and who sometimes don’t. Like bringing Brown back when they already knew about his awful outburst at the Pro Bowl, by keeping him on the active roster now" (N.Y. POST, 10/21). In New Jersey, Tara Sullivan writes the time has come for the Giants to "admit they were wrong" in standing by Brown. The second step "has to be cutting Brown from the roster for good." Sullivan: "There can’t be another answer" (Bergen RECORD, 10/21). In N.Y., Gary Myers writes Mara and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who are "allies and confidantes on so many NFL issues, caused severe residual damage -- Mara to the valued Giants brand and his own reputation for not doing the right thing and Goodell to his credibility after pledging zero tolerance for domestic violence abuse." Myers: "Mara should be ashamed he whiffed on at least three other opportunities to get rid of Brown after he disgraced the organization with his arrest in May 2015. He should have cut him as soon as he received news of the arrest" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/21).

DISPLACED DISCIPLINE: USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes under the header, "NFL Still Oblivious." As the league "plasters its fields with pink ribbons and decks its players out in pink cleats and pink towels this month in an effort to fool us into thinking it cares for the health of its female fans, its handling of Josh Brown’s suspension for domestic violence shows what a farce it all is." With a "crack investigative team created solely for the purpose of connecting the dots in cases such as these, it begs the question of how the NFL could be caught so unaware." It also begs the question of why the NFL "vigorously pursues some cases, suing prosecutors to get access to evidence" against former NFLer Greg Hardy, for example, "while barely lifting a finger in others" (USA TODAY, 10/21). In N.Y., O'Keeffe & Red write under the header, "Josh Brown Shows NFL Still Dropping Ball With Domestic Violence." Goodell and the NFL "continue to stumble when it comes to disciplining players," and the Brown case "is Exhibit A" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/21). ESPN's Joe Banner said, “It appears that what they intended to fix after what happened to Ray Rice has not gotten fixed, whether it’s the investigating part or the essentially guaranteed penalty for this type of activity” (“NFL Insiders,” ESPN, 10/20). ESPN's Michael Smith said, "They cannot get this right. Whatever they do now is going to, once again, be reactive instead of proactive. It's going to be about optics, it’s going to be about PR, it's going to be about backlash. It's going to be about outrage” (“His & Hers,” ESPN2, 10/20). On Long Island, Bob Glauber writes the league and the Giants "now come off looking ineffectual for not taking Brown's situation seriously enough" (NEWSDAY, 10/21).

SONG REMAINS THE SAME: SI.com's Melissa Jacobs noted two years have passed "since the Ray Rice debacle," and the NFL has "since updated its personal conduct policy, hired three domestic violence experts, ran DV public service spots and conducted DV education sessions for all 32 teams." Jacobs: "What was it all for? As the mishandling of Brown's case illustrates, we are literally back to the drawing board" (SI.com, 10/20). In N.Y., Steve Serby writes, "There’s blood on everyone’s hands here, and it is time for the NFL and the Giants to close this gaping wound. You cannot aspire to have a gold standard zero-tolerance policy on domestic violence and tolerate even one instance of it" (N.Y. POST, 10/21). ESPN’s Jemele Hill said, “All these policies and committees and the NFL hiring experts to be in the NFL offices to supposedly help them get ahead of this -- it means absolutely nothing. Their credibility is completely shot and it's worthless. And Roger Goodell is sitting there answering questions about ratings?” (“His & Hers,” ESPN2, 10/20). THE MMQB's Albert Breer wrote, "Two years ago we were told it was a new day for the NFL. The league had come clean on its missteps and pledged to do better. That mulligan is gone" (MMQB.SI.com, 10/20). FOXSPORTS.com's Dieter Kurtenbach wrote under the header, "Josh Brown's Case Shows The NFL Hasn't Evolved" (FOXSPORTS.com, 10/20). ESPN.com's Jane McManus wrote the NFL "should have figured out" with the Ray Rice case that if you are "going to discipline players, it needs to be enforced evenly" (ESPN.com, 10/20).

TAKING THE CYNICAL ROUTE: CSNBAYAREA.com's Ray Ratto wrote the NFL has been "reminded yet again that it neither understands nor cares to understand about domestic violence." Ratto: "But it will do better, you may rest assured. They’ll have a week where all the on-field personnel wear purple to commemorate the bruises. That's what the NFL does when it can no longer ignore its own tone-deafness -- they turn their stupidity into a marketing opportunity" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 10/20).

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