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Greg Hardy Hasn’t Changed And Needs To Shut Up

By Pete Packowski

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Well, it doesn’t look like Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy learned from his ways after being introduced to the national media on Tuesday. With the Carolina Panthers in 2013, the Ole Miss alum recorded 15 sacks and looked to be one of the best defensive players in all of football. The unfortunate truth appears to be another troubled super star that can’t stay out of trouble.

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Hardy, who’s 10-game suspension was reduced to four after a domestic violence issue involving his girlfriend in 2014, had a plethora of noteworthy comments, specifically about coming out “guns-blazing,” and his hope that Tom Brady‘s wife, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, as well as her sister, are in attendance at AT&T Stadium come Sunday.

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The 27-year-old, 6-foot-5 280 pound quarterback-tackling-machine, however, appears to have the full support of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. In an interview with SI.com, Jones, who is never short on words, commented on Hardy’s unique choice of words: “Well, you’re not allowed to have guns on the football field. We all know that’s just a way of expressing yourself. I hope his guns are ablazin’.” Jones also commented on Tom Brady’s wife: “When I saw him marry [Gisele], Tom went up in my eyes 100 percent. She’s very very attractive, and it shows what an outstanding individual Tom is.”

As an owner, Jones has to stick up for his players. The Cowboys invested $11.3 million into Hardy, which shows not only the level of respect they have for him as a football player, but the trust they have in him as an  individual that he won’t screw up again. Not only was this a terrible business decision (Does anyone really believe he is worth nearly $1 million a game?), but also a poor public relations move for the Dallas Cowboys’ brand.

Things are different in different parts of the country. People eat different foods, have different slang and wear different clothes, but one thing should stay the same: respect for the individual. How do Dallas Cowboy fans feel about Jerry Jones bringing on a person that has the mental fortitude to disrespect a person to the point of throwing them on a bed full of automatic weapons and telling them that they are going to kill them? With all that in mind, add to the fact that this person is your significant other and it proves to be a sticky situation.

While I am all for second chances and the ability to improve your image after a mistake, Greg Hardy hasn’t changed. If Hardy came back after missing the past 19 NFL regular-season games and seemed like a changed human being, people would not be in uproar from the defensive end’s comments. Hardy had the ability to completely turn the ship for not only himself, but a depleted Cowboys team that are eager for a leader to emerge. Instead, he chose to continue to act immature and disrespectful towards not only Gisele Bundchen, but all women that have been a victim of domestic violence.

If I am the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, I tell Greg Hardy to focus on one thing: football. Stop talking about other player’s wives and using edgy commentary. Leave everything on the football field and show the other 31 NFL teams and owners that they made a huge mistake of not signing you in the offseason.

If this is how Greg Hardy is going to act for the entire season, Cowboy fans have more to worry about than Tony Romo‘s collarbone and Dez Bryant‘s foot.

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