Josh Brown sidelined while Torrey Smith rips NFL for paying him anyway

New York Giants kicker Josh Brown has been sidelined as the NFL reopens the investigation that this summer resulted in a controversial suspension of just one game for the player.

Earlier this week, heinous revelations of serial domestic violence acts committed by Brown reignited a lingering NFL controversy and made the league look incompetent -- at best.

Brown was placed on the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt List until the league concludes its reopened investigation, NFL.com reported Friday. Being placed on the list means Brown cannot participate in Giants games, practices or other activities, but that he does continue to receive paychecks.

It's essentially a paid stop in purgatory until the league decides what to do following the release of writings by Brown himself in which the kicker admitted that ""I have physically, mentally, emotionally and verbally been a repulsive man ... I have abused my wife."

Those writings -- from journal entries by Brown and counseling session between Brown and his now-former wife -- renewed outrage among NFL players, fans and media about how the league handles cases of domestic violence.

"I viewed myself as God basically and she was my slave," Brown wrote.

Before the season started, Brown received a one-game suspension following an an arrest for abusing his wife at the time. The league argued that a one-game suspension was appropriate -- as opposed to the six-game ban first-time offenders typically receive -- because neither Brown's former wife nor police investigators provided enough evidence to justify more significant punishment.

The NFL was widely criticized in August when Brown, who signed a two-year contract for $4 million with the Giants in April, received his relatively light ban. But the controversy died down after the season got underway, as actual games and other perceived missteps by the league took center stage.

Then Brown's admissions of abuse were uncovered, the NFL said it will reopen its investigation and Brown was placed on the commissioner's exempt list.

Media and fans aren't the only ones who see the NFL's approach to discipline over serious issues guided more by reaction to public perception than any actual moral scruples. Meanwhile, the league continues to levy harsh fines on players for celebrating touchdowns or wearing the wrong kind of cleats.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith blasted the league via Twitter on Friday afternoon after news broke of Brown's timeout.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.