The Panthers, under "immense pressure in a whirlwind week," opted to deactivate DE Greg Hardy for yesterday's game against the Lions "after a week of saying" he would play, according to Jonathan Jones of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Panthers coach Ron Rivera after the game said, "Teams are dealing with this and we are doing the best we can. We are not infallible. We make mistakes. The decision I made today was based on all the information I tried to get, the people that I talked with and going forward.” Jones notes as late as Friday evening, the Panthers said that they "planned to play and start Hardy against the Lions." But after conversations yesterday with Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson and GM Dave Gettleman, Rivera "changed course." The Panthers' stance since late July has been that they will "let the legal process play out before taking any possible action on Hardy," but that "changed Sunday." Panthers DT Dwan Edwards said, "The climate's kind of changed and (we) kind of knew something was going to go down." Rivera did "not have a timetable on when Hardy would return to game action, but he indicated Hardy would play again this season" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/15). In Charlotte, Scott Fowler in a front-page piece notes Rivera made the "surprise move less than two hours before kickoff." Rivera six times during his postgame news conference said it was "in the best interest of the Carolina Panthers." Rivera: “There’s a lot to be looked at, measured and weighed. The climate has changed. We most certainly have to look at things the right way, because we really do have to get this right. Believe me, I get that part of it." Fowler writes, "I thought the Panthers sitting Hardy down was the right thing to do in a better-late-than-never sort of way. Now it will need to be determined how long the team holds him out (and it could be forever)" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/15).
RICHARDSON LIKELY INVOLVED IN DECISION: Rivera indicated he did not play Hardy due to the team's best interests, but in Charlotte, Tom Sorensen writes the Panthers' history "suggests that several people would have participated in the decision," including Richardson. Sorensen: "Although the NFL could have pressured the Panthers to deactivate Hardy, I suspect this was exclusively a Panthers decision, and that Richardson was prominently involved" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/15). ESPN's Chris Mortensen said deactivating Hardy was a "Jerry Richardson decision" and that he "wouldn't put it on anybody else." ESPN’s Tom Jackson said Richardson and the Panthers "got this right for this moment.” ESPN’s Cris Carter noted Richardson is the only team owner to have played in the league and said, "If he doesn’t know what this league is standing for, who else would know?” Meanwhile, ESPN’s Mike Ditka, who coached Rivera for eight years with the Bears, said, "I have to think that Ron had something to do with this also. He knows this is not right” (“NFL Countdown,” ESPN, 9/14). NFL Network's Michael Silver said, "This is a new reality in the NFL. ... The entire league is in a siege mentality when it comes to that, and I'm proud of the Carolina Panthers for recognizing the new reality” (“NFL GameDay Morning,” NFL Network, 9/14). Carter gave his weekly Game Ball on "NFL Sunday Blitz" to Richardson for sitting Hardy down ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 9/14).
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE? YAHOO SPORTS' Eric Adelson wrote the move to sit Hardy was "in the best interests of the Panthers," as the situation had "become bigger than the game, the team, the franchise, and even the sport." Adelson: "Yes, the public pressure made this happen. That's also a good thing" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/14). ESPN's Mike Greenberg said, “You’re not reacting to the action; you’re reacting to the reaction. That’s isn’t leadership; that’s following. Having said that, there’s never the wrong time to do the right thing” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 9/15). But SPORTS ON EARTH's Lindsay Gibbs wrote under the header, "Too Little, Too Late." The Panthers "finally did the right thing by deactivating Hardy." However, it "doesn't undo the damage caused by months of inaction" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 9/14). In Detroit, Jeff Seidel writes under the header, "Panthers' Decision To Sit Greg Hardy Flat-Out Hypocrisy." The Panthers allowed Hardy to play last week against the Buccaneers "because the case was under the radar." But the NFL has "come under intense scrutiny over the last week for the way it handles domestic violence," so the "pressure shifted" to the Panthers for playing Hardy in the season opener. Rivera then "magically found a conscience." He made the decision "for one reason: because of intense public pressure" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/15). NBC’s Bob Costas: "It's hard to believe that all of a sudden they had some sort of moral epiphany. Obviously, they finally bent to overwhelming public pressure because there was no defending what they were doing" ("Football Night In America," NBC, 9/14).
SOMETHING SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE EARLIER: The MMQB's Peter King notes the NFL "did nothing to Hardy" despite being found guilty of domestic violence by a judge. North Carolina state law allows Hardy a jury trial after an initial guilty decision, and the league "viewed the jury trail as an integral part of Hardy's due process." But King blames the NFL "for saying it wasn't acting" despite the judge's initial ruling, and he also blames Richardson for "tearfully playing on the emotions of his constituents" while receiving an award last week. King: "Hardy is one of the league's best pass-rushers. My question: If Hardy were an average players, or a backup player, how slow to act would the Panthers have been? ... The Panthers should not play him again, until or if he's found innocent" (MMQB.SI.com, 9/15).
MAKING THE RIGHT CALL? USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes the Panthers "finally got it right" by sitting Hardy, though the 49ers "are still missing the point" by continuing to play DE Ray McDonald. If the 49ers deactivated McDonald while his domestic violence case is sorted out, he "would still draw a paycheck" and coach Jim Harbaugh's "zero-tolerance declaration would carry more weight." But the 49ers' "depleted defense is already without three key players." Meanwhile, the "right thing for the Panthers -- finally -- was to deactivate Hardy." The move came days after Richardson "tearfully professed his disdain for domestic violence while receiving an award last week -- and in the face of extreme criticism" (USA TODAY, 9/15). In Chicago, Rick Telander writes to females, McDonald playing last night "was like a dark balloon in the clear blue sky." What McDonald "represented was the latest flashpoint in the Neanderthal world of the NFL" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/15).
