Photo Credit: Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Greg Hardy is a monster. Something that almost everyone can agree on. After the pictures of Hardy’s victim from his domestic violence case were released, people have been calling for Hardy to not be allowed to play in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys have been seamlessly ignoring all of the backlash until now. Reportedly, the team is not going to resign Hardy, but not for the reason we all think.
The breaking point for the Cowboys was Hardy’s non-stop partying. Hardy partied so much during the regular season that it could have been the reason why he was late to multiple meetings. Regardless, the Cowboys reasoning for not re-signing Hardy is downright disappointing. If they don’t count Hardy’s partying as the reason, the other reason would have to be his poor production on the field.
The Cowboys signed Hardy to a one-year contract which makes him a free agent this year. During the 2015 season, Hardy had 35 combined tackles, one forced fumble, and six sacks. Off of that production alone, keeping Hardy would be pointless. He failed to help his team and failed to have a productive season, making him replaceable. The Cowboys could find someone in free agency or the draft that would definitely be able to do much more without the drama.
If Hardy partied too much, then he should have been cut immediately. If playing in the NFL is truly a privilege, then abusing that privilege should cause you to lose it. The fact that Hardy was able to essentially do whatever he wanted showed exactly where the Cowboys priorities are and continue to be. Then there’s obviously his past domestic violence case. Everyone at the Cowboys organization was content to ignore it until the photos were released to the public. Owner Jerry Jones claimed to have never seen the photos before, which whether or not is the truth, shows the ineptitude of the organization.
If they had seen the photos and still signed Hardy, that is completely disgusting. It was ironic that the photos came out.. It finally gave something for everyone to cling onto to show why Hardy was a monster. Still, Jerry Jones refused to admit any guilt or even remorse for signing Hardy who he praised as a “leader”.
Fast-forward to now, months later and we are still talking about it. Well, I’m still talking about it at least. The thing that I want to know is why the Cowboys can’t just admit their mistake? Why can’t they just admit that Hardy is a toxic person? If they could admit it, they would, at least, retain a shred of dignity, but that seems impossible.
No matter what the Cowboys decide to do, we will all remember Hardy. We will remember his inappropriate comments, his horrible attitude and what he did off the field. If they do re-sign Hardy, however, they will deserve every piece of criticism they can. Re-signing Hardy would be the tipping point for the Cowboys and I don’t plan on staying around to watch it all happen.
I will be the first to admit my love for that team, but not them now. Before they signed Greg Hardy, I was optimistic and excited. Now, all I have to look forward to is more negative publicity and a complete lack of respect for their female fans. If they can’t clean up their mess, this will be what takes them down and I won’t just sit around and watch.
