Greg Hardy Returns to the Dallas Cowboys From Suspension
The NFL‘s willingness to ignore the abhorrent personal conduct of its players reared its ugly head again this week. Greg Hardy, the former Carolina Panthers’ defensive end, returned from suspension and will play for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. In his first statement back as an active NFL player, Hardy told a Cowboys beat reporter, “I hope I come out guns blazing.” If you never heard of Hardy, you would read that quote and say, this player wants to have a huge impact on the game.
Unfortunately, most fans of the NFL, including women, have heard of Greg Hardy and we know why he was suspended for 10 games. Hardy was guilty of multiple incidents of physical violence against his then-girlfriend. During one of the incidents, Hardy threw his girlfriend onto a futon that was covered with assault weapons. Therefore, mentioning guns during your welcome back press scrum might be the dumbest decision made by a Cowboy in the last 24 hours.
The NFL Doesn’t Need Hardy
As Katie Nolan, one of our favorite sports broadcasters detailed in her segment on “Garbage Time,” Hardy’s comments are disgusting and a huge black eye for Commissioner Roger Goodell. Why was Hardy even allowed to speak? If his gun comments weren’t bad enough, the Hardy interview got worse. When asked about his matchup against New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady, Hardy said,
Are you f-ing kidding us? Violence against women is not a joke. Why would Tom Brady subject his wife and sister-in-law to a violent offender? In fact, the league should suspend Hardy again for mentioning another player’s wife and sister-in-law given his legal issues.
Greg Hardy signed with the Dallas Cowboys in the off-season with the full support of Jerry Jones and the coaching staff. The Cowboys have supported Hardy through his negotiations with the league. We wonder if this latest incident forces Jerry Jones to re-think this signing. In spite of so many red flags, publicly Jerry Jones has refused to condemn Hardy for his idiotic statements. In an interview with SI.com, he said:
Jones added about Tom and Gisele:
“When I saw him marry [Gisele], Tom went up in my eyes 100 percent,” Jones told SI.com. “She’s very very attractive, and it shows what an outstanding individual Tom is.”
Sports Should Be Better Than This
In conclusion, Mr. Jones shut the “F” up. The Cowboys are an out of control insane asylum that you market as America’s Team. Greg Hardy disgusts us and his signing is an insult to all fans of the NFL, especially women. Thankfully Katie Nolan of FS1 and “Garbage Time” took the NFL, the Cowboys, and Hardy to task for their hypocrisy. Like Nolan, we also have a background in Public Relations. Not only should Hardy never be allowed to speak in public, but he also shouldn’t be allowed to play professional sports for a living.