The New York Giants' decision to re-sign Josh Brown in the offseason made barely a ripple. He's a kicker, and it came late in free agency after the Giants had already made serious noise with the big-money acquisitions of defensive end Olivier Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison and cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

Brown was an afterthought. It was a two-year, $4 million deal for a kicker that occurred in April, a move that seemed inevitable given he was coming off perhaps his best season. Brown had been named to his first Pro Bowl.

But it turned into the move of the Giants' offseason. And it's a move that will have long-reaching consequences after Brown was left home as the team traveled to London for its Week 7 game against the Los Angeles Rams.

That sound you hear right now, it's of the Giants' reputation crumbling.

Co-owner John Mara said Thursday during an interview on WFAN that Brown "admitted to us he'd abused his wife in the past. What's a little unclear is the extent of that."

This quote alone will echo for years. In and of itself, it's scary and perplexing. Add context to it all and the entire situation is downright head-scratching.

The Giants risked their reputation and morals for Brown.

After all that has unfolded since Brown's one-game suspension was announced this summer, there will be a permanent stain on the Giants' organization even when the Pro Bowl kicker is long gone, which could be as early as next week. The classy, model franchise tag they had developed over the past 30-plus years will be difficult to wear.

It's all because the Giants decided to re-sign Brown even after a domestic violence arrest and a history of troubling incidents involving him and his wife over the span of several years. There have been an arrest, explosive arguments and more than a few visits by the police to the Brown residences.

It should have raised more than a few red flags.

Brown had the police at his house on back-to-back nights last May, with the second resulting in an arrest and domestic violence charge that was dropped several days later. He was cited for violating a protective order two months later. The league was in the midst of conducting an investigation on the domestic violence charge when Brown was re-signed.

Now, the Giants are dealing with the consequences of their decisions with Brown. They're the franchise that knowingly employed an admitted abuser. They're the franchise that so fervently stood behind him even when the league issued him a one-game suspension for violating the conduct policy earlier this year.

Brown missed the opener against the Dallas Cowboys. But before that Mara asserted that given the information the team knew he was comfortable with its decision to re-sign him. Coach Ben McAdoo said he supported Brown “as a man, a father and a player.”

Then came this week's events, which changed Brown's status with the team. Documents were released Wednesday by the King County (Washington) Sheriff's Office in which Brown admitted to domestic violence in letters, journals and emails.

"I have abused my wife," Brown wrote in one journal entry.

The Giants made the decision Thursday to leave Brown home when they traveled to London. They claimed to have not known about the admissions when they re-signed Brown.

But they also can't play naïve. The Giants knew this was a possibility. In an interview with police last year, Brown's wife mentioned there was a letter sent to friends that contained admissions of domestic violence.

That letter -- and more -- became public earlier this week. It has put the Giants' decision-making and integrity directly in the spotlight.