NFL releases statement on Josh Brown suspension

The NFL has officially released a statement indicating why they gave New York Giants kicker Josh Brown a one-game suspension.

On Wednesday, the NFL suspended kicker Josh Brown for one game for violating the personal conduct policy. However, it was later uncovered in another report that it was due to a 2015 domestic violence arrest. That incident involved a 911 call from Josh Brown’s wife Molly. She had indicated in her statements there was a history of physical violence by her husband against her.

The league released their own official statement about Brown’s recent suspension on Friday. It may answer the burning questions some people have about why the suspension seems light for something that is such a serious matter. It may also raise questions about the NFL’s ability to send a serious message.

In their statement, the NFL talks about how they were “limited” in their ability to investigate the situation. This was due to the league saying Molly Brown declined to speak with them on multiple attempts. They also note that they attempted to speak with local law enforcement about the case and prior allegations. However, they declined those requests.

The league’s investigators were unable to corroborate any of Molly Brown’s prior allegations. There also were no official criminal charges against Brown for the previous allegations or for his 2015 incident.

Basically, the league is saying they had very little information to act on because the alleged victim wouldn’t speak out against her abuser. However, the NFL Personal Conduct policy allows for disciplinary action even when criminal charges are unavailable. All of that brought about what seems like a very light suspension for Brown.

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The league may not have had official information to act on. There still seems to be plenty of information showing a clear pattern of domestic violence. It would seem the NFL needs to impose a stiffer penalty on Brown to send the appropriate message to the players, their families and the fans.