Kicker on paid leave in abuse case

Giants’ Josh Brown “exempt” during probe of alleged violence against wife

london» The NFL placed Josh Brown on paid leave Friday, hours after coach Ben McAdoo struggled to answer questions about how the New York Giants might discipline the kicker for abusing his wife.

In a letter to the 14-year veteran, NFL senior vice president of labor policy Adolpho Birch said Brown was being placed on the league’s “exempt list” while the league investigates whether he should be suspended as punishment for several alleged acts of spousal abuse. Birch said the move “does not represent a finding that you have violated the personal conduct policy,” but does pave the way toward potential further sanctions.

Being placed on Commissioner Roger Goodell’s “exempt” list means Brown cannot attend practices or Giants games but can go to Giants headquarters for meetings and workouts. It also means Brown continues to be paid and his presence won’t be counted on the Giants’ 53-man roster. Brown could appeal the decision.

“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 NFL Players Association said in a statement. “The League office wanted unilateral control of this process, and accordingly, their system lacks transparency.”

The action on Brown came hours after McAdoo had trouble explaining the Giants’ intentions toward Brown, their kicker since 2013. The questions about how much the Giants knew about Brown’s off-field troubles have overshadowed preparations for Sunday’s game in London against the Los Angeles Rams.

Brown did not travel to London after Wednesday’s release of police records, which contained the player’s written admissions that he physically abused his wife, Molly, over a protracted period. She told police in the documents released by the King County Sheriff ’s Office in Washington state that the abuse and other threatening behavior stretched from 2009, when she was pregnant with their daughter, to the Pro Bowl in January.

In May 2015, Molly Brown sought and was granted a temporary protection order against her husband. A King County Superior Court commissioner issued the temporary restraining order on May 27, 2015. The order was reissued several times until July 24, 2015, when the order was terminated by the court at Molly Brown’s request.

At the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Brown’s wife said she called NFL security to move her and her three children to another hotel to avoid harassment from her estranged husband. She said he had pounded on their hotel door seeking to get in. The allegation is included in the final report filed last month by the local investigating detective, Robin Ostrum.

Asked whether the Giants knew about Brown’s behavior at the Pro Bowl, McAdoo repeatedly said the Giants were still gathering information on the 9-month-old event. Finally, he said: “I’m not going to answer that.”