Panthers coach Ron Rivera said that DE Greg Hardy "will play" on Sunday against the Lions, but he "couldn't say whether Hardy would be eligible for the Panthers every Sunday this season because of the legal process" in Hardy's domestic abuse case, according to Jonathan Jones of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Panthers officials have "repeated they will follow the league’s lead and allow the legal process to play out before issuing any potential punishment to Hardy." The Panthers have "shared the stage in a national discussion about the NFL’s stance on domestic violence" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/12). In Charlotte, Tom Sorensen wrote, "I contend Hardy is entitled to the same legal rights the rest of us are." That is, when he appealed, "the process began anew." Sorensen wrote he would not "suspend, release or penalize Hardy until his second trial -- a jury trial -- is held" if he was Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 9/11). However, the OBSERVER's Scott Fowler writes it is "time for Richardson to put action" behind the words he spoke Wednesday night on domestic abuse. Fowler: "Don’t just say something. Do something." The Panthers have "looked like a mercenary" in the Hardy case. The Panthers and the NFL were "well within their rights under league rules to punish Hardy with a suspension." Fowler: "I don’t believe Hardy should have been released outright -- he deserves his day in court before it is decided whether he should lose his job -- but something substantive should have been done" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/12).
NO MORE TEARS: ESPN’s Mike Greenberg said the Hardy case is an "enormous embarrassment" for the NFL, and for Richardson during his speech Wednesday to "cry at the very notion that he is not sensitive to domestic violence and issues is frankly embarrassing." Richardson is a "well-respected person, but that was an embarrassing moment." Greenberg said to Richardson, "You have it well within your power to say, ‘Until this matter is concluded, Greg Hardy is not going to play for us.’ ... You own the team, you own the ball. So if you don't want him to have the ball, that's up to you. If you feel what you're doing is right, that's fine. But I'm not really interested in hearing you crying about the notion that you are not sensitive to this issue. The degree to which there is a ‘not getting it’ factor in this has been exposed and it’s embarrassing” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 9/12). TWC SportsNet's Chris McGee said of Richardson, “If you are going to be so emotional about domestic violence, then you should have removed Greg Hardy from your team." McGee; "The trial is not going to happen until next year and then he’s going to be a free agent. They’re never going to have to make a tough decision” (“Rome,” CBSSN, 9/11).
MAKE A STATEMENT: USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes Hardy and 49ers DE Ray McDonald "shouldn't be on the field" on Sunday. Hardy has been "found guilty by a judge, but under North Carolina law is appealing to a jury trial." If the Panthers "won't sit him until that trial occurs," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "should." None of Hardy's May incident "apparently was caught on video, so Hardy plays on," and that is "reprehensible." Hardy "cannot continue to play in a league that contends it has no tolerance for domestic violence" (USA TODAY, 9/12). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes the 49ers are "under immense pressure to make a statement underscoring" coach Jim Harbaugh's "tough talk." The 49ers "won't sit" McDonald, and it "makes you wonder whether they are merely paying lip service or have obtained information they think will clear McDonald." Harbaugh said, "It's not who's going to make the decision. It's what's going to make the decision. And that's the facts." But Bell writes the Panthers "look even worse than the 49ers" (USA TODAY, 9/12).
