NFL suspends Greg Hardy for 10 games
Former Panthers DE Greg Hardy, having recently signed with the Dallas Cowboys after being taken off the Commissioner’s Exempt list, will now serve a 10-game suspension that was handed down by the league on Wednesday.
This adds another snag for the former Panther, who missed 15 games last season after being charged with domestic violence. Those charges were dropped by prosecutors in February after a high-profile case that created many more questions than answers.
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The harsh suspension could also be the result of last year’s handling of former Ravens RB Ray Rice’s situation, in which he was suspended for just two games after an altercation between himself and his now-wife was caught in an Atlantic City elevator.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell even made it an effort to claim that another batch of accusations this egregious could call for a lifetime ban from the NFL, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Goodell to Hardy: “You should understand that another violation of this nature may result in your banishment from the NFL.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 22, 2015
What makes this interesting for readers of our site and Panthers fans is not just that this occurred while Hardy was a part of the organization, but that his first game back will be against Carolina on Thanksgiving Day in Dallas.
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Social media was quick to react to the suspension, including Hardy’s former teammate and current Panther Charles Johnson.
Did my boy so dirty #ReleaseTheKraken
— charles johnson (@randywattson) April 22, 2015
Backup quarterback Derek Anderson also reacted on Twitter.
Wow... 10 games?
— DA (@DAnderson314) April 22, 2015
Others, while not as sympathetic towards Hardy himself, criticized the league for possibly being too harsh considering he spent most of last season not even a part of the game.
It's possible to question the fairness of the NFL's punishment without endorsing the behavior. Obviously, what Greg Hardy did was wrong.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 22, 2015
Even the Cowboys were caught off guard by the length and harshness of the suspension.
The #Cowboys expected at most a 6-game suspension for Greg Hardy. Thought it would be 4 games. 10 is clearly a surprise.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 22, 2015
Reports now state that Hardy will indeed appeal the suspension through the NFLPA, so it will be interesting to see if the NFL will hold their ground or if a higher power will be needed to sort this out.
We’ll be sure to keep updating on this story as it develops.