Carolina Panthers Greg Hardy could still be deactivated

The Carolina Panthers are fully expected to rule out starting running back DeAngelo Williams for today’s big game against the Detroit Lions, as he didn’t practice at all this week with a thigh injury and has always looked highly unlikely to play. Ron Rivera only listed him as questionable on the injury report, but that was likely to keep the Lions guessing. Williams is a big loss for the Panthers after posting a solid Week 1, but they can make do if Jonathan Stewart plays to his talent. However, it looks like there’s a chance Williams won’t be the most notable name on the Panthers inactive list today.

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Pro Football Talk reports that the Panthers could still deactivate star defensive end Greg Hardy, who was found guilty of assault on a female and definitely deserves to be suspended under the league’s domestic violence policy. The Minnesota Vikings deactivated Adrian Peterson for at least today’s game against the New England Patriots after he was indicted in a child injury case, so most of us are expecting the Panthers to finally follow suit with their star player.

If Hardy is inactive against the Lions, then Mario Addison would figure to be the next man up ahead of Missouri Tigers intriguing rookie Kony Ealy. Hardy is a great player and is set to face a solid left tackle, but Rivera and the Panthers need to make a stand by placing Hardy on the inactive list. It’s a tough call, so we’ll see what the Panthers choose to do ahead of what should be an exciting game. Addison is one of the most underrated DEs in the league, so he’s capable of being a good replacement.