Giants owner just made the Josh Brown domestic violence fiasco even more nauseating

"He’s admitted to us that he’s abused his wife in the past. I think what’s a little unclear is the extent of that."
 By 
Sam Laird
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The NFL world was rocked Thursday by explosive revelations that New York Giants kicker Josh Brown admitted to abusing his former wife -- writing, among other things, that "I viewed myself as God basically and she was my slave" -- before he signed a $4 million contract in April, and before he was suspended for just one game to open this season.

Outrage spread far and wide among fans, players and media alike. Then Giants co-owner and CEO John Mara made everything worse in a Thursday afternoon radio interview.

"Listen, he’s admitted to us that he’s abused his wife in the past. I think what’s a little unclear is the extent of that," Mara said on New York's WFAN sports station, before adding that "what we have read about is obviously disturbing."


You May Also Like

Not surprisingly, the crux of Mara's statement along with the rest of his WFAN interview, rubbed many the wrong way.

Here's ESPN's Jemele Hill.

Here's Annie Apple, whose son Eli plays cornerback for Mara's Giants team.

Here's The Nation's Dave Zirin.

Here's -- well, you get the point. You can find many, many more examples of the reactions Mara elicited if you care to sift through Twitter.

Meanwhile, Mara sang a much different tune in September 2014, when the NFL was in damage-control mode following another domestic violence incident by a different player.

"There is no place for domestic violence in our sport or in our society, and we are committed to doing our part to prevent such heinous acts going forward," Mara said then.

That was just over two years ago.

Hypocrisy, thy name is John Mara.

Mashable Image
Sam Laird

Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
'The Daily Show's Josh Johnson reacts to Melania Trump's robot
A man in a suit sits behind a talk show desk. In the top left is an image of a woman walking along a corridor with a robot.

OnlyFans owner Leonid Radvinsky dies at 43
onlyfans logo on computer


Homeland security pushes social media giants to dox anonymous accounts critical of ICE
By Jack Dawes
Ice Police Law Enforcement - Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Agents - stock photo

Bachelor Nation, #MomTok furious over violent video of Taylor Frankie Paul
Reality star Taylor Frankie Paul at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!