NFL: Greg Hardy Shouldn’t Be Blackballed or Employed
By Zac Wassink
Defensive end Greg Hardy may not belong in the NFL right now, but he should not yet be cast away forevermore.
You are probably aware of the situation regarding former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy. Some out there may feel they know too much about Hardy at this point.
By now, you have likely heard and/or read about the domestic violence allegations made against Hardy. It would take literally seconds to locate and see the disturbing images of Hardy’s alleged victim. We all know that Hardy was suspended by the National Football League, that he had a stint with the Dallas Cowboys that apparently did not go all that well, and that Hardy is currently a free agent.
So now what?
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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has reported that player agent Drew Rosenhaus has informed NFL teams that Hardy, Rosenhaus’ client, has taken steps to eliminate the personal demons that have haunted him in the past. Per Florio:
"Hardy has been evaluated and treated by multiple NFL physicians, with Dr. Heidi Bruty recently documenting the various steps and stages of individual and group counseling, along with other methods. Topics included his anger management, temper management, domestic violence, and evaluation for ADHD. Hardy also is learning more about impulsive decision making, and he is being assessed for personality, mood, learning, and speech disorders.This year, Hardy has participated in at least 24 psychiatric therapy sessions, and he will continue to receive treatment and evaluation aimed at preventing the issues that plagued him in the past. He also is taking classes at the University of Mississippi."
People will, and already have via social media, scoff at the idea that Hardy is “receiving treatment.” They will suggest that these are merely the actions of a man who is desperate to save whatever might be left of a NFL career. For all we know, those people may be right.
But what if they’re not?
I have zero psychiatric training. I know very little about brain function and behavioral tendencies and what makes a person click. Maybe there is no deep-rooted issue with Hardy. Some people, after all, are just jerks.
By all accounts, Hardy is not the best person you’ll ever meet. The allegations made against Hardy that probably would have landed him in jail had he not settled with the alleged victim in that case are disgusting. Even freedom and a second chance of a NFL career seemingly did not change Hardy, as he was, per David Moore of SportsDay, not all that great of a teammate while with the Cowboys.
Hardy is a free man. Any opinions you may have on the domestic violence allegations made against him and/or how his case was handled by the justice system won’t change that. It is not on the NFL, NFL owners or NFL general managers to hand out additional punishments because some fans out there believe, rightfully so or not, that Hardy belongs behind bars.
Hardy is a free man. He is free to visit doctors. He is free to work out and remain in playing shape. He is free to go to the supermarket, to play video games, to walk on the street and do anything that he wants within the perimeters of the law.
Hardy should also be free to try to save his NFL career. That does not, however, mean that Hardy should play in 2016.
Hardy will turn 28 years old during the summer months. He should, so long as he does not suffer any serious injury, be physically able to play in the NFL past the fall of 2016. Assuming that the information leaked by Rosenhaus is accurate and that Hardy is working through some serious issues, he should be willing to take a redshirt year between now and March 2017 when free agency opens next offseason.
“But Greg Hardy is an awful person who doesn’t deserve to make millions of dollars playing in the NFL,” you may retort. You may be right. If that is the case and Hardy has few, if any, redeemable qualities, than this matter will work itself out. Hardy will, while having plenty of free time on his hands due to not having to practice during midweeks and not playing on Sundays, do something that will land him in additional trouble with the law and that will turn NFL teams off for good.
If, however, Hardy is able to right himself, work through things and remain a solid citizen for the next 10 months, he should be welcomed to meet with NFL teams who could use his services.
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Far too often, NFL fans want teams and the league to toss players such as Hardy out like garbage. It is not a stretch to suggest that former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel could use some assistance that goes beyond a stint in a rehabilitation facility located in Malibu. The same could be said for Joseph Randle, Justin Blackmon and others like them.
Hardy has a lot of work to do before he should receive even a tryout from a NFL team. The odds are against him, so much so that the safe money would be on Hardy never again playing in the league. There may come a time, possibly sooner than later, when Hardy deserves to be blackballed, blacklisted and banned from the NFL.
That day is not today, regardless of what you may think of Hardy personally.