They are both pieces of sht, as are many players who are involved in shady things the league covers up, but Brown is suddenly not just a piece of sht but an unemployable piece of sht the moment he dons the uniform of the most hated team in the league, based on the opinion of many jealous, petty, shthead owners.
I agree with you that there was a "burn the witch" mentality with Brown once he signed with the Patriots. I never wanted him to stay because of the circus he brought to the locker room with his social media antics. But an even greater reason of why he needed to go was because it provided Goodell, the league, and media an excuse to sniff around and find/create other problems with the team.
The difference between Brown and guys like Hill, to follow up on one of your points, is that owners/the league brass can't tolerate CRAZY. Brown is a CTE posterboy and reminds the general public -- and average player -- of the dangers of this game. Brown is going off the rails and this underlines to the general public that football (and more specifically Vontze Burfict) can destroy lives.
On the other hand, for many Americans a guy like Hill is acceptable. Yes, he is a monster. But they justify watching a monster like him play because he is -- for them -- *just* living up to their view of black men . From a racist perspective, it only makes sense for a black man to beat his kids because they are "just born that way" and "don't know any better." Goodell understands that you can keep a player like Hill or Adrian Peterson around because once the dust settles none of the fans will care enough to stop watching.
But Brown is different. He is CRAZY around the clock. He brings up race with the "No More White Woman 2020" campaign. He jokes about abuse on Twitter rather than keeping actual abuse within the confines of the home. In the end, Brown is a diva and embodiment of the NFL's meat grinder's ugly side. While Brown has always been an @ss, all the head injuries must have caused some of this, right? Brown makes fans confront that question with every breath he takes these days.
Having Brown spiraling while employed by the NFL would be too radioactive. For a league more concerned with optics than any semblance of moral authority, Brown had to go and has to stay gone.
Unlike guys like Hill, Brown doesn't feel like you can figure him out. He might as well be the Joker post falling in a vat of acid. And that fact scares guys like Goodell who like predictable violations like a little domestic violence here and child abuse there.
Let's just get Brown help before it is too late - there is something wrong with him psychologically and/or physiologically that could explode worse than even now. I fear for his ex-girlfriend and kids and I hope they stay away.
ps. I'm sorry if this post felt too cynical. I am disgusted with Goodell's behavior and lack of positive leadership and really feel he needs to go.