Panthers DE Greg Hardy "will practice this week, but the team has not made a decision on his status" for Sunday’s game against the Steelers or for the rest of the season, according to Joseph Person of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Panthers coach Ron Rivera yesterday said that the team "has no plans to cut Hardy" following his domestic violence arrest in May. Rivera said GM Dave Gettleman is doing “due diligence” on Hardy’s situation, and indicated that the team’s front office has been "in consultation with the league office." Rivera pointed out that Hardy "isn’t suspended, and the decision this week will be whether to deactivate him again or allow him to play." Rivera said that the decision to deactivate Hardy last Sunday was "not based on any new information, but suggested the 'climate' around the league changed" after Ray Rice’s release and indefinite suspension and Vikings RB Adrian Peterson’s arrest (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/16). Rivera said that it was "important for the team to 'get it right' in regards to moving forward." Asked whether the team got it right the first time when it did not discipline Hardy after he was charged in May, Rivera said, "I don't know. What is right? We do the best we can. Nobody is infallible. We all make mistakes. We all correct those mistakes and we try to go forward" (ESPN.com, 9/15). Rivera added that a decision on Hardy "could come after the organization has talked things through thoroughly" (USA TODAY, 9/16). Meanwhile, Mike Florio cites a source as saying that the NFL "could soon be intervening in the Hardy case" with a suspension without pay "for violating the personal-conduct policy" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 9/16).
SIT HIM FOR ONE MORE GAME: In Charlotte, Scott Fowler writes Rivera is "obviously struggling with what the best thing to do is," and there are "no easy answers." But Rivera "should deactivate Hardy for one more game," and then, starting Sept. 28 at the Ravens, should "let Hardy play until his trial" in November. Regardless of "wins or losses ... it’s the right thing to do." The Panthers "needed to do something substantive to show they weren’t OK" with Hardy's actions, and they "did it Sunday." They need to "echo the same point against the Steelers" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/16). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said, "I don't see any particularly compelling reason to play him in the upcoming game. To me this is the conflict for a team between self-interest and public relations" ("PTI," ESPN, 9/15).
