While disgraced New York Giants kicker Josh Brown has received the backing of peers and coaches since news broke of him admitting to having committed domestic abuse, reactions from across the league have varied. Teammates Victor Cruz and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are among those who've come forward to support Brown through the investigation, as has head coach Ben McAdoo, who has said that the team and organization will stand behind their man. But, such has not been the sentiment coming out of Baltimore. The Ravens veteran Steve Smith calling Brown out on a personal note on Thursday [October 20], then following up his condemnation of the kicker with a protest of the NFL for its failure to adequately address the legacy of domestic violence among its players.
"We have valued the amount of air in a ball but yet devalued when a person or persons have been harmed and fail to put forth necessary actions or energy and time in which far less important things have taken precedent," Smith wrote, in a statement tweeted out on Thursday night. "Our system is broken the NFL needs to stop acting like they care and start Showing people they mean what they Say!!!" Throughout his message, Smith scathingly underscored the contradictions in league policy that have seen players suspended, cut, and banned for lesser offenses. As the son of a domestic violence survivor, the future Hall of Fame wide receiver urged executives to begin to examine the league's culture and rule book with the intention of standing completely intolerant of such acts.
Earlier in the day, Smith gave Brown a piece of his mind, when he tweeted out: "You know what if your ex-wife was my daughter yo A** would be on [Injury Reserve]." He started off his message to the league with a comment that served as an apology for the tweet directed at Brown but still made his feelings on Brown's alleged actions clear. "I will admit my response [to the Josh Brown news] was a bit extreme," wrote Smith. "For that, I apologize. The point I was trying to make things have to change! A Man should NEVER Hit a woman which means he isn’t A REAL MAN."
Source: complex.com
