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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

NFL bans former New York Giants kicker Josh Brown for 6 games

FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2016, file photo, New York Giants' Josh Brown speaks with reporters at NFL football teams training camp in East Rutherford, N.J. The NFL suspended former New York Giants kicker and current free agent Josh Brown for six games, a person familiar told the Associated Press on Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. (Tom Canavan / Associated Press)
By Tom Canavan Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The NFL suspended former New York Giants kicker and current free agent Josh Brown for six games Friday. The decision to extend the ban follows a league review of Brown’s repeated abuse of his former wife while they were married.

The suspension is the second handed to Brown for abusing former wife Molly.

Brown served a one-game suspension at the start of last season. He was eventually released by the Giants in late October after authorities in Washington state released a report on their investigation into his arrest in 2015. Details in the report angered many because Brown received a suspension of only one game.

Brown’s suspension starts this weekend and he is not appealing the new ban because the 38-year-old kicker hopes to play again in the league. The league has been taking a second look at the accusations since the police report was made public.

Police did not make evidence available to the league in its first investigation of Brown, who played 14 seasons in the league with five teams, including the Seattle Seahawks.

Brown had acknowledged abusing his former wife.

Appearing on ABC’s “Good Morning America” after the Giants released him, Brown said his put his hands on his former wife, held her down and kicked furniture. He said he never hit, slapped or choked her.

“Domestic violence is not just physical abuse,” he said on the show. “We’re talking intimidation and threats, the attempt to control, body language. An abuser is going to abuse to a certain degree to acquire some kind of a reaction.”