Former Panther, Cowboy Greg Hardy arrested on drug possession charges
This guy is not learning the lesson. He’s been blessed with the athletic ability to play in the NFL and he has constantly thrown it away with his off-the-field behavior.
Police report former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy has been arrested in Richardson, Texas for possession of a controlled substance. He was taken into custody following a traffic stop before being released after posting a $5,000 bond.
NFL Reporter Tom Pelissero (Twitter: @TomPelissero) posted Hardy’s mug shot Monday night.
ESPN reports the substance found was cocaine. Hardy’s explanation for what police found and how it got there is interesting. According to the police report, Hardy said he didn’t know what the substance was, but he must have gotten it at a party the night before.
“He passed his wallet around at the party because he was paying for everybody, and that must have been when the baggies were put in his wallet.” — Richardson, TX police report via ESPN
Hardy played for the Dallas Cowboys last season after spending the first five years of his career with the Carolina Panthers, where he was named All-Pro in 2013.
Suspended for domestic violence
He was suspended four games at the beginning of the 2015 season following a 2014 arrest on domestic violence charges.
After the arrest, he spent all but one game out of the League on what’s called the Commissioner’s Exempt List in 2014.
But if you can play football, it seems there’s always someone willing to give you a second chance. In 2015, it was Dallas. The Cowboys signed Hardy to a one-year deal that could have netted him $13.1 million dollars. The deal did not have guaranteed money and was layered with performance incentives (mostly based on sacks). Hardy sat out games due to the suspension and did not meet the incentive goals. Still, he earned more than $8 million dollars.
Convicted once, then charges dismissed on appeal when alleged victim won’t testify again
Hardy was convicted after 2014 domestic violence charges of communicating threats and assault. He was sentenced to 18 months probation and a suspended 60-day jail sentence.
The verdict was overturned on appeal and his record expunged. The charges were overturned when the alleged victim, ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder, made herself unavailable to testify at the appeal. At the appeal, the district attorney asked to dismiss the charges, noting that Holder “made herself completely unavailable” for purposes of the trial, despite what the district attorney called “extraordinary measures” by law enforcement agencies to find her, according the NFL’s statement.
“Both in his filing with the state court and his public statements explaining his decision, the district attorney stated that he had ‘reliable information’ that Ms. Holder had reached a civil settlement with Hardy that was directly related to the events that occurred at his residence on May 13” — NFL Statement on Greg Hardy
Deadspin released photos from the night of the incident between Hardy and his ex-girlfriend that showed bruising to her back, feet, and face.
“Barefoot and frightened, Nicole Holder walked as fast as she could through the darkness, and the moment she saw the cops she ran. She headed west on Fifth Street toward North Church, away from the Charlotte., N.C., apartment of Greg Hardy, a star defensive end then with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Minutes earlier he had, she said, thrown her against a tile bathtub wall, tossed her on a futon covered in assault rifles, and choked her until she told him to ‘kill me so I don’t have to.’” — Deadspin, November 2015
The NFL Commissioner’s office “determined that there was sufficient credible evidence that Hardy engaged in conduct that violated NFL policies in multiple respects and with aggravating circumstances,” according to the written report. Commissioner Roger Goodell’s investigation concluded that Hardy had used physical force against Holder in “at least four instances.” In one case, the report stated, the evidence showed that Hardy shoved her against a wall and threw her onto a couch covered with at least 4 semi-automatic weapons.
“The net effect of these acts was that Ms. Holder was severely traumatized and sustained a range of injuries, including bruises and scratches on her neck, shoulders, upper chest, back, arms and feet…“the use of physical force under the circumstances present here, against a woman substantially smaller than you and in the presence of powerful, military-style assault weapons, constitutes a significant act of violence in violation of the Personal Conduct Policy.” — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a written statement.
Back to Dallas
Coming back from the suspension, Hardy had six sacks before the trouble started again. His on-the-field performance suffered and problems off-the-field started to surface. Team officials talked to Hardy several times about tasteless and degrading Twitter comments. In one game, he reached out to a Cowboys’ coach and slapped a clipboard out of his hands. He tangled with teammates, most notably a shouting match with Cowboys’ receiver Dez Bryant according to CBS Sports. He reportedly stayed out late partying on game weeks, causing him to be late to team meetings — which led to a fine from the team for missing a meeting.
The Cowboys cut their losses and did not pursue another contract with Hardy. Although there have been reports that at least two NFL teams had taken a look at Hardy in free agency for this season, no team has come forward to tkae the risk.
Greg Hardy Photo: By original: Keith Allison derivative: Diddykong1130 (Greg Hardy) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
