Should the New England Patriots Sign Greg Hardy?
Is it time to unleash the Kraken in New England?
According to a report in the Charlotte Observer, Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy had his domestic violence charges dropped this morning due to his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder, not being present at the hearing. Hardy’s been on the commissioner’s exempt list since week 2 of the 2014 season, which basically means that he couldn’t play in games or participate in practice, but still collects a paycheck every game. ESPN also reported today that “…sources told ESPN.com that the Panthers are not expected to pursue Hardy once he becomes an unrestricted free agent March 10.”
Fire up the free-agent-speculation-machine!
Greg Hardy doesn’t need any introduction for his pass-rushing prowess. The guy notched 11 sacks in 2012, 15 sacks in 2013, made the Pro Bowl in 2013, and along with his fellow defensive players like Luke Kuechly, elevated the Panthers defense to a 60-sack performance in 2013. He was a 6th-round pick that’s turned into one of the NFC South’s best defenders (insert quip about “Well, that doesn’t say much” here). Off-field situations aside, he’s a guy you love to see going after opposing quarterbacks if he’s on your team, and if he’s not, you’re praying that your team’s offensive line ate their Wheaties that morning.
So should the New England Patriots, the undisputed most successful franchise since AOL Instant Messenger, basking in the glory of their fourth Super Bowl victory, look into signing one of the league’s best pass-rushers that’ll probably come at a bargain-basement price due to his “baggage?”
Absolutely.
Not.
The headline today that “charges against Greg Hardy were dropped” is a good example of a headline being 100% factually accurate, while creating a completely misleading perception of what actually happened. For starters, Hardy was actually convicted of domestic violence already, for the same incident, on July 15th, 2014. The charges he was convicted on at that point were assaulting a female and communicating threats, and due to North Carolina’s legal system, Hardy was allowed to appeal his conviction and get a jury trial instead. This trial is where the charges were dropped today.
So, recap: Greg Hardy was already convicted of assaulting his now-ex-girlfriend and threatening her by a judge, someone who has (presumably) decades of legal experience and education, and due to North Carolina’s trial laws, got a chance to go to a jury trial instead, in an area where most people are probably fans of the team, and also (probably) not any better versed in law than you or I might be.
The details are where things go from “assaulting a female” and “communicating threats” to “My god, this is profoundly messed up and I can’t believe anyone would act this way towards someone they love.”
In an article from September 11th, 2014, Time Magazine layed out the police officer’s arrest warrant, which is where the officer states that “I, the undersigned, find that there is probable cause to believe that…the defendant named above (Hardy) unlawfully and willingly did assault (name redacted) a female person, by GRABBING VICTIM AND THROWING TO THE FLOOR, THROWING INTO A BATHTUB, SLAMMING HER AGAINST A FUTON, AND STRANGLING HER.”
That’s verbatim from a police report, including the capital letters. You can read the more graphic version from the woman’s statement, too, and it’s just as bad as that makes it sound. Worse, even. At one point, she says “He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me” and that Hardy “…choked me with both hands around my throat while I was lying on the floor.”
But everyone deserves a second chance, right? Michael Vick got a second chance, Donte Stallworth got a second chance, Michael Irvin got several second chances, and Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson might very well get second chances too.
The Patriots need to stop thinking about Greg Hardy before they even start because this whole thing shows issues that Hardy has that go way beyond one isolated incident of poor judgment.
Whatever led up to this confrontation-turned-abuse is irrelevant. We’re talking about a grown man, a 26-year-old adult, who made a choice to deal with a disagreement with someone he valued with death threats and using his NFL-caliber strength to physically injure someone and intimidate them. That’s not even a bad decision, it’s a decision that shows a mentality where anything is OK as long as it’s OK in your mind. Lack of discipline. Lack of self-control. A propensity for violence. It’s either conscious temporary suspension of one’s conscience, or not having a conscience in the first place. You get the idea.
Is that the type of player that should be repping the blue and silver on Sundays, playing for the team that was publicly lauded for releasing Aaron Hernandez just an hour after he was arrested in a murder investigation?
Hell no. Hell. No.
Greg Hardy’s going to be playing somewhere next season. He’s far too talented for 32 teams, some of which haven’t had winning seasons for the better part of a decade, to all say “Nah, he’s not worth it.”
But the New England Patriots need to give Greg Hardy the cold shoulder like the toxic waste that he’s shown himself to be.