Giants K Brown journal admission: 'I have abused my wife'

NFL re-opening investigation after documents released

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The NFL is re-opening its investigation into Josh Brown in light of the release of additional documents regarding the New York Giants kicker's May 2015 domestic violence arrest.

Brown admitted to domestic violence in letters, emails and a journal, according to police documents released on Wednesday.

"I have abused by wife," Brown wrote in one of his journal entries obtained as part of the investigation stemming from his arrest on May 22, 2015. The documents were part of the final case file by King County (Wash.) Sheriff's Office for Brown, who was charged with assault in the fourth degree/domestic violence after an incident with his ex-wife.
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 Brown, his then-wife Molly Brown and counselor Jerry Price, the kicker admitted that he had physically, verbally and emotionally abused his then-wife.

Brown admitted that he "had been a liar for most of my life," according to the police documents released Wednesday.

The 37-year-old also claimed to have been abusive to women dating back to when he was 7, after being molested as a young boy.

"I objectified women and never really worried about the pain and hurt I caused them," Brown wrote in an email.

The NFL released the following statement on Thursday:

"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," the league said in a statement. "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.

The Giants re-signed Brown during the offseason to a two-year, $4 million deal.

Co-owner John Mara said that the team knew about Brown's incident which resulted in the arrest after conducting its own due diligence.

"When we made the decision to re-sign Josh back in 2015, we were certainly aware of the arrest and the allegations of that arrest," Mara said. "Based on the facts and circumstances we were aware of at that time, we were comfortable with re-signing him."

It is unclear if the Giants or NFL were aware of his written statements provided by police on Wednesday.

Brown, who received a one-game suspension by the NFL for a May 2015 incident in which he 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 NFL's domestic violence policy has a six-game baseline for first offenses, but allows for different lengths of punishment should mitigating circumstances allow.

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