Josh Brown's ex-wife told police of over 20 physically violent incidents

The ex-wife of Josh Brown had told police that the Giants kicker had been physically violent with her on more than 20 instances over the past several years.

Molly Brown's comments to police -- according to documents obtained by ESPN -- followed Josh Brown's May 2015 arrest on a charge of assault in the fourth degree/domestic violence. She said police were called to their residences more than 10 times and that he sent a letter in April 2014 to friends admitting abusive behavior and lying to make her look bad.

Police were called on multiple occasions to their residences in Washington, St. Louis and New Jersey over the years, Molly Brown said, and she had a protection order against her husband in 2013. She said the order was later dropped because of progress they had made in counseling.

The Giants were aware of the police being called to their residence in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 2014-15, Molly Brown said. She said the owners of the apartment they were renting were trying to blackmail the couple, and the Giants' attorneys "basically did what they needed to do to make the guy go away."

The Giants declined to comment. The NFL did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Josh Brown, who was suspended one game by the NFL on Wednesday, said he informed the Giants of the 2015 charge the day of the incident, and a team spokesman confirmed they knew of that incident.

Brown was accused by his ex-wife of pushing her into a large mirror in their bedroom, throwing her on the floor, jumping on top of her and pinning her face to the carpet with his forearm on the back on her neck. In a separate incident, he allegedly kicked a door off the hinges and into the arm of her son, kicked a chair into his wife and pushed her over a paper shredder.

She also told police that he verbally threatened her consistently over the years, including death threats.

The charge in the 2015 case was dropped because of "insufficient evidence," according to the King County (Wash.) prosecutor's office, but the NFL suspended Brown one game for a violation of the league's conduct policy. The league considered it a domestic-violence-related offense.

Josh Brown acknowledged Thursday that the suspension stemmed from the 2015 incident, calling it a "moment that happened over a year ago."

"While I'm not OK with the decision, I have to respect it," Brown added. "So I look forward to a 15-game season and moving forward with my teammates."

Brown will miss the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.

The Giants re-signed Josh Brown this offseason to a two-year, $4 million deal.