Brown with the Rams in 2010 | |||||||
No. 3 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Placekicker | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | April 29, 1979||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 202 lb (92 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Foyil (OK) | ||||||
College: | Nebraska | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2003 / Round: 7 / Pick: 222 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Player stats at PFR |
Joshua Clell Brown (born April 29, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Brown was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL draft. He also played for the St. Louis Rams, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants.
Brown was released by the Giants in 2016, after it was made public that he had admitted to an abusive relationship with his wife. [1]
Brown was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He began his football career after his family moved from Tulsa when he was in eighth-grade and he subsequently attended Foyil High School.
Brown was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 222nd overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft. [2] On October 5, 2003, In a game against the Green Bay Packers, Brown kicked a 58-yard field goal, the longest of his career. [3] On January 4, 2004, Brown made his postseason debut against the Green Bay Packers and kicked two field goals as well as all three PATs. [4] On October 10, 2004, after an injury to Tom Rouen, Brown punted for the first time in his career, a 35-yarder, against the St. Louis Rams. [5] On October 17, 2004, Brown kicked a career-high four field goals (33, 40, 28 and 31 yards) against the New England Patriots. [6] On October 23, 2005, while playing against the Dallas Cowboys he made two field goals over 50-yards: a 55-yarder and a 50-yarder as time expired to win the game. [7] [8]
On October 15, 2006, he kicked a 54-yard game-winning field goal while time ran out against the St. Louis Rams to win the game 30–28. Although it would have been a 49-yard kick, Seattle was called for an illegal formation penalty. Unlike a false start penalty there was no 10-second run-off so Brown still had a chance to kick, albeit from 54-yards out. On November 27, 2006, he tied his career best by kicking four field goals in a snowy Monday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers, with all four field goals made in the first half. On December 3, 2006, Brown kicked a 51-yard field goal to win the game against the Denver Broncos, making it his fourth game winning kick in the last minute in the 2006 season.
On February 22, 2007, the Seattle Seahawks used their franchise tag on Brown. On November 18, 2007, Brown made highlights by tackling and nearly stripping the ball from Pro Bowl kick returner Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears during a third-quarter kickoff. On January 5, 2008, Brown kicked a 50-yard career-high postseason field goal in the NFC Wild Card Game against the Washington Redskins. [9]
On February 29, 2008, Brown signed with the St. Louis Rams who made him the NFL's highest paid kicker at the time. The Seattle Seahawks had offered him comparable money, but with an extra year and back loaded the whole deal. This would have made him the highest paid kicker, but he took offense to the fact that the Seahawks' contract was something Brown got offered after visiting the Rams. In an interview on Seattle sports radio station KJR 950 he stated that he had not wanted to be a "slave to the businessman," a statement that was ridiculed by Seattle media and fans. [10]
On October 12, 2008, Brown kicked four field goals, including the game-winning 49-yarder as time expired against Washington Redskins. [11] [12] On November 1, 2009, Brown threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Fells with 54 seconds remaining in the first half against the Detroit Lions. [13] On August 13, 2011, Brown made a 60-yard field goal in a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. [14] Had it been a regular season game, it would have recorded as a career long, but in preseason games stats are not recorded. The Rams cut him in April 2012 in preparation for drafting Greg Zuerlein in the 2012 NFL draft. He was in the final year of his $14.2 million five-year deal with the Rams. [15]
Brown was signed by the New York Jets on May 1, 2012, to compete with incumbent Nick Folk. [16] Brown was released by the team on August 27, 2012.
Brown was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals on December 6, 2012, due to an injury to Mike Nugent. Brown beat out Neil Rackers and Billy Cundiff for the job. On December 23, 2012, he kicked the game-winning field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers to send the Bengals to their first back-to-back playoff berths since the 1981–1982 seasons. [17]
Brown signed with the New York Giants on March 13, 2013. In his first season, he went 23-of-26 in field goals and 31-of-31 in extra points. On December 22, 2013, Brown kicked a game-winning 45-yarder in overtime against the Detroit Lions. [18] [19] On October 27, 2013, he kicked a career-high five field goals against the Philadelphia Eagles. [20]
In 2014 Brown signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract with the Giants. In his second season with the team, Brown went 24-of-26 in field goals and converted all 44 of his extra points. On December 6, 2015, he missed the game-winning field goal against the New York Jets in overtime. [21] In 2015, Brown was 27-of-29 in field goals and 41-of-42 in extra points. [22] Brown was selected to the 2016 Pro Bowl in his 13th NFL season after Stephen Gostkowski declined to participate.
After the 2015 season, Brown became a free agent. On April 18, 2016, it was announced that he re-signed with the Giants. [23] Brown reportedly received a two-year, $4 million deal. [24] On August 17, 2016, he was suspended one game by the NFL for violating the league's conduct policy. He released a statement saying "while I do not agree with the suspension, I will accept it. I have exhausted the appeals process and have no other options along those lines." [25] [26] The next day, he confirmed that the suspension stemmed from a domestic violence charge in 2015. [27]
On October 20, 2016, the King County, Washington Sheriff's Office released documents related to a domestic violence case against Brown. In those documents, he admitted to verbally and physically abusing his then-wife, Molly. Giants co-owner John Mara told WFAN in New York City that he re-signed Brown even after he admitted to abusing her in the past. In the face of a firestorm of criticism, the Giants deactivated Brown for their Week 7 game against the Los Angeles Rams in London, and planned to revisit his status after the game. [28]
The next day, in the face of further criticism, the NFL placed Brown on the commissioner's exempt list while it reviewed the documents, saying that they appeared to reference "other instances of abuse" separate from the one for which he was disciplined. [29] Brown had the right to appeal this decision, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that he would not do so. [30]
The NFL claimed that it made multiple attempts to obtain documents related to the case, only to be rebuffed by the sheriff's office. In response, King County Sheriff John Urquhart told KIRO-AM in Seattle that he'd received a letter from an investigator asking for details on the case, but he never disclosed that he was working for the NFL. For that reason, he dismissed the letter as coming from a "yokel." He also claimed that any requests for information on the case would have gone directly to him had the league followed the normal channels, and "we probably would have told them orally a little bit more about what we had" at the time. The NFL, Urquhart said, behaved like a "bully" when it asked for the information in the manner that it did. [31]
On October 25, 2016, the Giants released Brown. In a statement, the Giants apologized for their previous "misguided" approach to the situation. [32] This move had been expected since the NFL placed him on the exempt list. That day, several sources close to the situation told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Brown would never play for the Giants again, and that they planned to cut ties with him at the earliest opportunity.
On September 8, 2017, while a free agent, Brown was suspended an additional six games after the NFL continued conducting a previous investigation regarding his previous domestic violence case. [33] Though the suspension was completed without Brown being on a team, [34] it was believed to be the end of his career as teams were unlikely to take on the negative attention that would come with signing him.
Year | Team | GP | Field Goals | Extra Points | Points | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FGA | FGM | Pct | Lng | XPA | XPM | Pct | ||||
2003 | SEA | 16 | 30 | 22 | 73.3 | 58 | 48 | 48 | 100.0 | 114 |
2004 | SEA | 16 | 25 | 23 | 92.0 | 54 | 40 | 40 | 100.0 | 109 |
2005 | SEA | 16 | 25 | 18 | 72.0 | 55 | 57 | 56 | 98.2 | 110 |
2006 | SEA | 16 | 31 | 25 | 80.6 | 54 | 36 | 36 | 100.0 | 111 |
2007 | SEA | 16 | 34 | 28 | 82.4 | 54 | 43 | 43 | 100.0 | 127 |
2008 | STL | 16 | 36 | 31 | 86.1 | 54 | 19 | 19 | 100.0 | 112 |
2009 | STL | 16 | 24 | 19 | 79.2 | 55 | 16 | 16 | 100.0 | 73 |
2010 | STL | 16 | 39 | 33 | 84.6 | 53 | 27 | 26 | 96.3 | 125 |
2011 | STL | 16 | 28 | 21 | 75.0 | 49 | 18 | 18 | 100.0 | 81 |
2012 | CIN | 4 | 12 | 11 | 91.7 | 52 | 8 | 8 | 100.0 | 41 |
2013 | NYG | 16 | 26 | 23 | 88.5 | 52 | 31 | 31 | 100.0 | 100 |
2014 | NYG | 16 | 26 | 24 | 92.3 | 53 | 44 | 44 | 100.0 | 116 |
2015 | NYG | 16 | 32 | 30 | 93.8 | 53 | 45 | 44 | 97.8 | 134 |
2016 | NYG | 5 | 12 | 11 | 91.7 | 48 | 9 | 9 | 100.0 | 42 |
Career | 201 | 380 | 319 | 83.9 | 58 | 441 | 438 | 99.3 | 1,395 |
Brown was arrested on a fourth-degree domestic violence charge on May 22, 2015, in Woodinville, Washington. According to the police report, the victim alleged that Brown grabbed her wrist while she was picking up a phone. The victim dialed 911 and alleged an assault. The police report states the victim's wrist had "redness" "and a small cut, possibly from a fingernail." On May 27, 2015, five days after the arrest, the charges were dropped by a prosecutor, according to a Washington state district court. [35] Including the May 22 incident, at least eight physical assaults were reported to the police and twenty more were detailed with the King County Sheriff's Office. [36]
According to documents released by King County Sheriff's Office related to his 2015 domestic charge, Brown admitted to abusing his ex-wife. These documents were first obtained by NJ Advance Media. [37] Some of the documents contained therapy journal entries that Brown wrote; one of the entries included Brown saying, "I have abused my wife." In an email, Brown wrote, "I objectified women and never really worried about the pain and hurt I caused them." The documents also contained a "Contract for Change" signed by Brown, his ex-wife, and counselor Jerry Price; this contract states that Brown had physically, verbally, and emotionally abused his ex-wife. Brown also admitted in the documents that he was molested as a young boy. [38]
Michael Shayne Graham is an American American football coach and former placekicker. Graham played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech. He made his professional debut in May 2000 with the Richmond Speed of the Arena Football League's now-defunct developmental league, AF2.
Neil William Rackers is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini. Rackers was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft, and also played for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans.
Robert Paul Gould III is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Gould was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played with the Bears from 2005 to 2015, earning first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2006, and became the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
Jordan Jude Babineaux is a former American football safety. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2004 out of Southern Arkansas University.
Mason Walker Crosby is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Colorado, and earned unanimous All-American honors. The Green Bay Packers selected him in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. A member of the New England Patriots for most of his career, he is the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Gostkowski played college football for the Memphis Tigers and was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Patriots, where he spent his first 14 seasons. In his final season, he played for the Tennessee Titans.
The 2006 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 31st season in the National Football League (NFL), fifth season playing at Qwest Field, and eighth under head coach Mike Holmgren. The season began with the team attempting to improve on their 13–3 record from 2005, repeat as National Football Conference (NFC) champions, and return to the Super Bowl. The team, while winning their NFC West division, only advanced as far as the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs, losing to the eventual NFC champion Chicago Bears in overtime.
The 2006 season was the St. Louis Rams' 69th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 12th in St. Louis. The season began with the Rams trying to improve on their 6–10 record from 2005 under new head coach Scott Linehan. This was the Rams last non-losing season in St. Louis as the franchise would go on a ten-season losing record streak until 2017 in Los Angeles.
The 2007 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL), sixth season in Qwest Field and the ninth under head coach Mike Holmgren. The team improved on their 9–7 record in 2006 and secured its fourth consecutive NFC West division title and its fifth consecutive playoff appearance. Also, the team set an NFL record for the fewest penalties since the NFL expanded to a 16-game season, with 59. In the playoffs, the Seahawks defeated the Washington Redskins in the wild card round, but fell to Holmgren’s former team, the Green Bay Packers, in the divisional round.
The 2008 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 33rd season in the National Football League (NFL), the seventh season in Qwest Field, and the tenth and final under head coach Mike Holmgren. The Seahawks' streak of four consecutive NFC West divisional championships was broken, as they fell to a 4–12 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
Daniel Roy Carpenter is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 after playing college football for the University of Montana. He also played for the Buffalo Bills.
The 2010 season was the Seattle Seahawks' 35th in the National Football League (NFL), their ninth playing their home games at Qwest Field and their first under head coach Pete Carroll after Jim Mora was fired on January 8, 2010. The team exceeded their win total from 2009 and won the NFC West with a 7–9 record, and made the playoffs for the first time since 2007. They became the first team in a full season to finish with a sub-.500 record and make the playoffs, a berth which was by virtue of winning the division. The 2010 Seahawks also became the first sub-.500 team to win a playoff game with their home win against the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints remembered as the Beast Quake game, but then had their season ended by the second-seeded Chicago Bears in the divisional round.
Randy Bullock is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Texas A&M, and was recognized as the nation's best college football kicker and a consensus All-American. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, after winning college football's Lou Groza Award.
Gregory ZuerleinZURR-line; is an American football placekicker for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, he played college football at Nebraska-Omaha and Missouri Western. He previously played for the St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys.
Blair Richard Walsh is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. Walsh played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL draft.
Samuel James Ficken is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Penn State. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015, and has also been a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions.
Chandler Catanzaro is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and later played for the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Clemson.
Christopher Lynn Boswell is an American football placekicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rice and was signed by the Houston Texans in 2014 as an undrafted free agent and has also spent time with the New York Giants.
Jason Myers is an American football placekicker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Marist.
William Lutz is an American football placekicker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia State.