John Mara: Giants Were Aware Of Josh Brown Arrest And "Were Comfortable" Re-Signing Him

New York Giants owner John Mara made his first public comments today on the domestic violence allegations against kicker Josh Brown that led to his one-game suspension.

Speaking to reporters during team practice, Mara said the team was “certainly aware of the arrest” when Brown was re-signed in 2015, per the New York Daily News. “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 has happened in the meantime to make us question that decision.”

Brown’s estranged wife, Molly, told police that Brown has assaulted her as many as 20 times.

“In this particular case, as an employer, it’s a complicated and emotional issue, and you have to make decisions based on the facts and circumstances that are presented,” Mara said.

Mara went on:

“there’s a tendency to make these cases black and white They’re very rarely black and white. You very rarely have a Ray Rice video. There are allegations made, you try to sort through the facts, and you try to make an informed decision. That’s what we did.”

It would have been “easiest” to find another kicker instead of re-signing Brown, Mara said, but he “wanted to be fair” to Brown.

Mara waited a week after Brown’s suspension to address the issue, instead leaving first-year coach Ben McAdoo to face the press. McAdoo stuck to the company line while addressing the suspension last week:

“We support the league office in their decision and their stance on personal conduct. I do support Josh as a man, a father, and a player. We treat these situations on a case-by-case basis.”