Josh Brown - Pro Football Rumors

Josh Brown Treatment Irks Many Around NFL

October 22nd, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

A cross-section of NFL personnel are displeased with the NFL and the Giants’ handling of the Josh Brown situation, from owners to execs to coaches and players, according to an ESPN.com report.

The NFL suspended the kicker for the Giants’ opener, but Brown returned to kick for the team for the next five games before this week’s revelations induced a trip for the veteran to the commissioner’s exempt list. Brown, who likely won’t kick in the NFL again if the careers of Ray Rice and Greg Hardy are any indication, admitted to domestic abuse in documents released this week by the King County (Wash.) Sheriff’s Office.

One owner told ESPN.com he regards the situation as “an embarrassment,” while another wondered how this could reach this point — with Brown being permitted to play again after a one-game suspension — after the events of 2014. A new domestic violence initiative was enacted under the umbrella of the personal conduct policy, calling for a six-game suspension for domestic violence cases. No player has been suspended for that amount of time, but multiple players have been essentially banished as a result of domestic violence connections, Jonathan Dwyer being another.

Two league officials claimed the interest in pursuing the Deflategate matter took precedence over this, per ESPN. 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith took to Twitter to voice his frustration about Brown’s status.

Brown can still collect his $1.15MM base salary and attend meetings at the Giants’ facility, along with a host of other permitted non-football activities. Although, with the Giants signing Robbie Gould, Brown doesn’t seem to have a purpose in Big Blue meetings any longer.

John Mara said in August the team was comfortable re-signing the 37-year-old Brown to a two-year, $4MM deal this offseason based on the information at the Giants’ disposal at the time. But the owner saying earlier this week that Brown admitted to them he’d abused his ex-wife but adding the team didn’t know the extent of the abuse did not sit well with many. The NFL could have also requested similar documents from the Browns’ divorce hearing, which is public record, prior to King County’s Sheriff’s Office releasing them this week.

Ben McAdoo said from London the team wasn’t going to turn its back on Brown despite signing Gould to kick in England, but multiple sources told ESPN they doubt Brown will kick in the NFL again.

East Notes: Giants, Brown, Bills, Ryan, Jets

October 21st, 2016 at 9:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFLPA has issued the following statement on Giants kicker Josh Brown, who was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list today following more revelations about his purported domestic abuse: “The NFL has the ability to place a player on the exempt list and the player has the right to appeal that decision, if he chooses. The League office wanted unilateral control of this process and accordingly, their system lacks transparency.” Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link) also obtained a copy of the letter the league sent Brown today informing him that he has been placed on the exempt list.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

Conflicting reports emerged earlier this year as to whether Bills general manager Doug Whaley and head coach Rex Ryan faced playoffs-or-bust ultimatums — but team owner Terry Pegula says the rumors were unfounded. “No. We just hired the guys!” Pegula told Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “Doug’s a new GM basically (promoted in May 2013). And we just hired Rex. We’re talking about continuity, and the players need that.” The Bills are now 4-2 and back in the thick of the playoff race after winning four straight.
Offensive lineman Gabe Ikard was cut earlier today to make room for the return of Shaq Lawson, but the Bills plan to re-sign next week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Ikard, a two-year NFL veteran, hasn’t played an offensive role for Buffalo this season, as he’s seen zero snaps. But he had managed to see the field for 11 special teams plays.
The Jets brought defensive end/outside linebacker Sadat Sulleyman in for a workout, Wilson tweets. Sulleyman, 23, is a UDFA out of Portland State who didn’t make Denver’s initial 53-man roster. He’s also tried out for the Bengals and Chiefs this season.

Giants Done With Josh Brown

October 21st, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Josh Brown will be put on the commissioner’s exempt list and he will not suit up again for the Giants, sources tell ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen. Multiple sources also tell the veteran reporter that Brown is unlikely to ever kick again in the NFL.

[RELATED: Giants Sign Robbie Gould]

Given that Greg Hardy and Ray Rice have been unable to find work in the NFL, it’s not surprising to hear that Brown is persona non grata in the league. Brown is one of the league’s best kickers and is coming off of one of his best seasons, but he is certainly not worth the baggage that would come with signing him at this point. After all, Hardy is still a starting caliber defensive end, but his history and bad attitude have forced him to change sports.

The Giants have until 4pm ET/3PM CT Friday to place Brown on the commissioner’s exempt list. While on the list, Brown can still collect his ~$1.15MM base salary. He can also appeal being placed on the list, but that will be an uphill battle given everything that has come out in recent days.

Latest On Giants’ Josh Brown

October 20th, 2016 at 8:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants left kicker Josh Brown behind when they traveled to London today, and subsequently signed veteran Robbie Gould to take his place. Whether or not that means the club is bracing for Brown to be suspended is unclear, but the NFL is considering placing Brown on the exempt list, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).

The Giants were unaware of Brown’s journal entries, emails, and letters admitting to domestic violence, a team spokesman tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The team had not read or heard them until they were brought to light yesterday. However, as Diana Moskovitz of Deadspin writes, the league could have easily obtained similar documents by requesting a copy of the Browns’ divorce file, which is public record.

Additionally, the NFL had been involved in at least one incident involving Brown and his wife, a source tells Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. During the Pro Bowl in January, an intoxicated Brown reportedly pounded on his wife’s hotel room door, leading the NFL to help Brown’s wife in switching rooms.

Giants Won’t Bring Josh Brown To London

October 20th, 2016 at 4:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants announced that they will not bring kicker Josh Brown with them to London this week. It’s not immediately clear who they will sign to serve as their kicker when they take on the Rams.

Josh Brown will not travel with the team to London.

In light of the news reports regarding the documents released by the State of Washington yesterday, we think it makes sense to review this newly disclosed information and to revisit this issue following our trip to London.

The Giants do not condone or excuse any form of domestic violence. Josh has acknowledged that he has issues in his life and has been working on these issues through therapy and counseling for a long period of time.

We remain supportive of Josh and his efforts.

Brown, of course, was suspended for the first game of the season based on the information that the NFL had about his domestic abuse allegations at the time. Now, more information has come to light and the league is taking a deeper look at the kicker. In the interim, the Giants are keeping him off the field.

In his five games this season, Brown has nailed 11-of-12 field goals with his only miss coming from more than 50 yards out. Last season, Brown sank a career-high 93.8% of his field goal attempts.

NFL To Investigate Giants K Josh Brown

October 20th, 2016 at 1:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this year, Giants kicker Josh Brown was the subject of controversy when information emerged about the domestic violence accusations. Unlike other players who have been punished in recent years over DV charges, Brown appeared to get a slap on the wrist in the form of a one-game suspension. Now, after yesterday’s revelations, many are calling upon the league office to revaluate Brown’s case and give him a harsher punishment. Moments ago, the NFL released a statement on the matter and it sounds like Brown could be in for a lengthier suspension if the allegations hold up.

NFL investigators made repeated attempts-both orally and in writing-to obtain any and all evidence and relevant information in this case from the King County Sheriff’s Office. Each of those requests was denied and the Sheriff’s Office declined to provide any of the requested information, which ultimately limited our ability to fully investigate this matter. We concluded our own investigation, more than a year after the initial incident, based on the facts and evidence available to us at the time and after making exhaustive attempts to obtain information in a timely fashion. It is unfortunate that we did not have the benefit or knowledge of these materials at the time.

In light of the release of these documents yesterday, we will thoroughly review the additional information and determine next steps in the context of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy. We will not be making any comments on potential discipline until that time.

If Brown does receive additional discipline from the league, it raises an interesting quandary for the Giants. The G-Men are facing the Rams in London, England on Sunday and they’d have to get a kicker on a plane post haste if Brown needs to be replaced. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (on Twitter), Randy Bullock has an up-to-date passport. Bullock kicked for the Giants in Week 1 while Brown was suspended.

Josh Brown Admitted To Domestic Abuse

October 19th, 2016 at 7:25pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Back in August, the NFL suspended Giants kicker Josh Brown for Week 1 as a result of a May 2015 arrest on a fourth-degree misdemeanor domestic violence charge. The NFL came under fire for issuing what many perceived as a light punishment, but the league defended itself by pointing out that Brown’s now-former wife was not willing to participate in an interview to support her claims. Brown, meanwhile, openly disagreed with the notion that he deserved the suspension.

Now, two months after the league disciplined Brown, it’s possible more trouble could be on the way for the 37-year-old. Police documents indicate that Brown admitted to physically abusing Molly Brown in emailed letters, personal journal entries and counseling exercises, reports James Kratch of NJ.com.

“I have physically, mentally, emotionally and verbally been a repulsive man,” Brown wrote in a 2013 journal entry. “I have abused my wife.”

As was previously reported, Molly Brown told police that her husband had been physically violent with her over 20 times, and that she previously had a protection order against him. Furthermore, she alleged that the violence began while she was pregnant with their daughter.

Per the latest details, Molly Brown revealed in her own writings that Josh Brown “pushes, shoves hits me because I challenge him” and “says women like me get hit because we can’t shut up.” Moreover, she provided photographic evidence stemming from his alleged abuse – including bruising on her body – to Robin L. Ostrum, a detective with the King County Sheriff Department in Washington. Ostrum used that material to recommend two charges of fourth-degree domestic violence to the King County Prosecuting Attorney on Sept. 14. The status of the recommended charges is unknown, according to Kratch.

The Giants re-signed Brown to a two-year deal in the offseason, when he was coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign, and garnered criticism for sticking with him after his suspension. Co-owner John Mara also admitted that the team knew of Brown’s arrest at the time it re-signed him.

“Based on the facts and circumstances that we were aware of at that time, we were comfortable with our decision to re-sign him. Nothing that has happened in the mean time to make us question that decision,” Mara said in August (via Kratch). “We attempted to make a informed decision here. We’ll live with the results of that decision.”

It’s unclear whether this new information will affect Brown’s standing with the Giants or lead to further discipline from the league. The former Ram and Seahawk is playing his fourth season in New York.

Giants Place J.T. Thomas On IR

September 12th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants announced that they have placed J.T. Thomas on injured reserve. Thomas suffered torn ligaments in his left knee during their season-opening win against the Cowboys. In a related move, kicker Josh Brown has been reinstated to the 53-man roster after serving his one-game suspension.

Thomas was with the special teams unit on the field when the injury happened. During the kickoff to close out the first half, Thomas was chasing after Lucky Whitehead and working to shed a block when he was hit in the knee. Thomas spent much of the summer on the PUP list with a hamstring injury and accepted a pay cut just days ago to remain with the team.

Thomas signed a three-year, $10MM deal with the Giants prior to the 2015 season. The 28-year-old missed four games in his first Giants season but played in 12 games with a career-high 11 starts at weakside linebacker. All in all, he had 43 tackles and three special teams tackles.

Brown, of course, was handed a one-game suspension for his role in a May 2015 arrest on domestic violence charges. When additional information came out about the allegations, Brown found himself at the center of a national controversy as many believed his punishment was too lenient.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Eagles, 49ers, Giants, Seahawks

August 24th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have been shopping defensive lineman Taylor Hart around the NFL, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Hart doesn’t have an overly appealing track record in the league, however. The 2014 fifth-round pick from Oregon was on the Eagles’ 53-man roster throughout his rookie year, but he failed to log any appearances. In 14 games last season, the 6-foot-6, 281-pounder partook in 27 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps and made 27 tackles.

Here’s more from the NFC:

When asked to characterize his association with Trent Baalke, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said he and the GM have a “business relationship” (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). Further, in response to Baalke’s comment last week that he and Kaepernick broke their months-long silence with a” good conversation,” the signal-caller simply referred to it as a “conversation.”
Giants owner John Mara the Josh Brown situation on Wednesday and said the club was in fact aware of both the domestic allegations against the kicker and his arrest (via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). Nothing has happened since to change the Giants’ opinion on re-signing him in April.
Because the Seahawks made such a minimal investment in Jahri Evans (one year, minimum salary benefit with $80K guaranteed), it’s uncertain if the veteran guard is a lock for the club’s final roster. As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes, Seattle is pleased with the play of left guard Mark Glowinski and first-round right guard Germain Ifedi, so a starting spot for Evans might not be available.
As of now, the Saints and contract-year quarterback still aren’t progressing toward an extension.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

East Notes: J. Brown, Petty, Pead

August 21st, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Rory Parks

Giants rookie kicker Tom Obarski missed a 28-yard field goal during yesterday’s preseason contest against Buffalo, and, predictably, several members of the team’s brass were asked after the game about the controversy surrounding incumbent kicker Josh Brown. As Paul Schwartz of The New York Post writes, co-owner John Mara told reporters, “I know what you’re going to ask me about. Check with me again next week, but I don’t have anything to say about it.” GM Jerry Reese declined to comment at all about Brown, and head coach Ben McAdoo said, “I’ve said everything I have to say on that situation.” Brown himself also declined to comment.

As Big Blue attempts to sort out its suddenly volatile kicking situation, let’s take a look at some other notes from the league’s east divisions:

Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News believes Jets QB Bryce Petty has not only earned his spot on the team’s roster, he has earned a chance to compete with Geno Smith for the backup quarterback job. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes that the Jets are currently “trending toward” keeping four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster–Ryan Fitzpatrick, Petty, Smith, and rookie Christian Hackenberg–which recent history suggests is not a wise decision.
Cimini also observes that the Jets will need to create some salary cap room, as the club has just $1.2MM of space at the moment and will need money for a practice squad, an additional two players on the cap–currently, only 51 count–and potential injury replacements. The problem is that there is not much “fat” on the roster in terms of potential cap casualties. The team could create $4.4MM of space by cutting Breno Giacomini, who has not practiced due to a back injury, but he is the club’s only experienced right tackle.
Dolphins running back Isaiah Pead, who was signed to be little more than a camp body, has been the team’s best back this preseason, says Adam H. Beasley of The Miami Herald. Miami’s running back depth chart includes Jay Ajayi, Damien Williams, Kenyan Drake, and Arian Foster, but Drake hasn’t practiced in weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury, which means that Pead could fill one of the team’s projected four RB openings. Pead was given coveted first-team snaps in the Dolphins’ second preseason contest, the clearest sign yet that he might be on the right side of the roster bubble.
Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com takes a look at five Redskins currently on the roster bubble, a list headlined by LB Perry Riley.
Earlier today, we learned that the injury bug has bitten the Patriots in a big way.