Greg Hardy: Just Visiting the Carolina Panthers?
Greg Hardy made a reappearance at the facilities of the Carolina Panthers, according to Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. The same report also had Hardy reappearing on Twitter. This olive branch to Hardy is odd, since he is still on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. It is possible that Coach Rivera wanted him to speak to the team or something, but it still seems weird.
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Then again, if you have been keeping up with the National Football League, you know that two things are happening right now that might account for Hardy’s sudden emergence.
1. The NFL lost Ray Rice’s appeal of his suspension
It turns out that the NFL’s mishandling of the Ray Rice situation was that bad. Rice was arguing about technicalities, but that was enough to get him back into football. He is now a free agent and may not end up playing again, but he could. Showing the League as unfair may have encouraged the Panthers to broach the idea of Hardy’s return.
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2. The NFL is currently fighting Adrian Peterson’s reinstatement off of the Exempt List (Where Greg Hardy is)
It was the Vikings’ handling of Peterson that led the Panthers to make a deal to put Hardy on the Commissioner’s List. When Peterson’s legal process finished with a misdemeanor plea deal, the running back expected to return to the Vikings. The NFL declined, and now an arbitrator is handling the decision. If the arbitrator rules against the NFL, then the Panthers might feel that the NFL could not keep Hardy on the List.
Of course, it is always possible that Hardy and the Panthers just happened to have a get together. Maybe they wanted to check on his conditioning or offer him a new deal. Maybe he wanted to get everyone to follow his new Twitter handle. We shall see.