The Dallas Cowboys started the 2015 NFL season with a bang. Now they are making noise due to their poor play and actions of one of their players, Greg Hardy. In the offseason Jerry Jones controversially singed Hardy before he served his suspension for domestic violence related issues. Now his support of Hardy after the defenseman’s latest antics only makes the situation worse.
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During the Cowboys’ game against the Giants, FOX aired injured WR Dez Bryant berating Hardy on the sideline and Hardy chirping back at him. What they originally didn’t air was Hardy flipping out at the special teams for giving up a late touchdown and then went further to start hitting the clip board of the special teams coach.
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If this was Hardy’s major issue he’s had while being an NFL coach, most people would be willing to give him a pass. However, this is sadly not an isolated issue. Hardy has a problem when it comes to controlling his emotions. Even worse, Jerry Jones enables it with his comments about the incident. After the game on Sunday, he was asked about the incident and had some words that shocked a nation.
"“That’s the kind of thing that inspires a football team,” Jones told reporters after the Cowboys loss to the Giants. “… He’s just getting guys ready to play, in my view. I don’t have any issue with him being involved in motivating or pushing in any part of the football team because he plays and walks the walk.”"
In a post-Ray Rice domestic violence incident era, the NFL promised to care more about domestic and dropped the hammer on subsequent issues. Hardy served his suspension, but Jones gave a girlfriend-beating player a whooping $11 million contract. Even worse, he is doing nothing to prevent Hardy from flipping out on teammates, hitting coaches, and acting like a child when a teammate tries to speak some truth into his life.
Oct 25, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before the NFL game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys won’t be suspending Hardy for his actions as they think it’s good leadership. In reality, it is anything but good leadership.
Hardy looks like a Prima Donna who hasn’t learned from his past. The NFL should have no tolerance for behavior like Hardy’s and should come down as hard on Hardy as they did against Tom Brady before a court overruled their DeflateGate ruling.
Domestic violence and throwing fits on national television is much more serious than being accused of deflating footballs. The NFL and its teams should be worried more about the former than the latter.
Yet, nothing will change while Jerry Jones is still in charge in Dallas and has influence within the league because of his big checkbook and money he brings in.
The only thing worse than someone making a fool of themselves on national television and not getting help for their issues is the people who enable them by ignoring the issue(s) at hand.
Jones is an enabler and Hardy will be able to continue to not control his temper for the foreseeable future and the NFL will be the laughing-stock of society for failing by not acting.
Granted the NFL’s office still could act, but Jone’s lack of action is only making the Hardy situation more of a nightmare than it should be.
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