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Panthers Follow Vikings' Lead, Place Greg Hardy On Commissioner's Exempt List

Panthers DE Greg Hardy, who faces a trial in November on domestic abuse charges, yesterday was "placed on the commissioner’s exempt list," just hours after the NFL placed Vikings RB Adrian Peterson "on the same list after allegations that he beat his 4-year-old son with a switch," according to a front-page piece by Joseph Person of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Panthers GM Dave Gettleman said that Hardy’s leave "would last until his domestic violence case is resolved." He added that Hardy "could seek counseling on his own, but the team will not require him to do so." Person notes the seldom-used commissioner exempt list "was thrust into the headlines as Commissioner Roger Goodell sought to get his hands around the league’s growing public relations crisis." Only Goodell "has the authority to place a player on the exempt list, a special status available to teams only in unusual circumstances." The Panthers, with "public pressure mounting," last week deactivated Hardy 90 minutes prior to Sunday’s game against the Lions. Gettleman: "There’s no rulebook for this. There’s no magic list that we can hit check-boxes with for that to bring us to the right answer. ... Through this whole process since it started back in May, we tried to be as thoughtful and as intentional as possible with everybody that’s involved" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/18). USA TODAY's Jim Corbett notes the Panthers "consulted the NFL on how to handle discipline of Hardy." Asked if there was discussion of a suspension as an alternative, Gettleman said, "Not from us." Asked if there was from the league, Gettleman said, "Not from us" (USA TODAY, 9/18).

ACTION-REACTION: In Charlotte, Scott Fowler writes the Hardy situation "is a mess, and everyone who has touched it has some mud spattered on them." The Panthers’ entire leadership team "needs to go to a seminar on crisis management," as they "mishandled this one on several levels." Neither Gettleman nor Panthers coach Ron Rivera "used the word 'mistake' Wednesday, but they sure made one in Week 1 when they let Hardy play." Gettleman: "At that time we felt it was the right thing to do. It’s constantly changing." Fowler: "There was certainly a tide of public opinion that threatened to overwhelm the Panthers" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/18). ESPN.com's David Newton wrote the Panthers in the Hardy situation have "reacted -- twice -- to decisions the Vikings made about Peterson." Rivera last Friday said that Hardy "would play" against the Lions. The "only thing that changed between then and Sunday morning" was the Vikings' move to deactivate Peterson for their Week 2 game. When the Vikings "applied for Peterson to be placed on the exempt list," the Panthers' stance on Hardy "changed again." Had the video of Ray Rice assaulting his wife "never been released and had Peterson not been indicted, Hardy likely would be preparing for Sunday night's game" against the Steelers (ESPN.com, 9/17). In Charlotte, Tom Sorensen writes Rice "was kicked out of the NFL and the sudden anger over the video was transferred." The Vikings "acted quickly to bench Peterson, and the anger was transferred." Now "it was Hardy’s turn" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/18).

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER?
In Minneapolis, Chip Scoggins wrote the Vikings "don’t deserve blind praise for correcting a wrong" by placing Peterson on the exempt list. They ultimately "got it right, but the course they took to reach this point never made sense." Keeping Peterson away from the team "should have been their punishment from the start, or something that reflected the seriousness of the situation." It was not though, because the Vikings "put winning ahead of doing the right thing," and team Owners the Wilf brothers "rendered a decision that was remarkably tone-deaf and insensitive and abhorrent" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 9/17). Also in Minneapolis, Jim Souhan writes the Wilfs' "cynical indecision" has been "pathetic." Before Tuesday night, they "were willing to destroy what is left of the organization’s reputation not for a player in their long-term plans, not for a chance to win a Super Bowl this season, but to slightly increase their poor chances of winning this Sunday" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/18). The STAR TRIBUNE's Patrick Reusse writes as "absurd as ... the waffling of the Wilfs over a period of 103 hours" was, the end result is that "most factions got what they wanted." Peterson is "not going to be playing for the Vikings for the foreseeable future," which is "what the sponsors wanted." It is also "what the media wanted" and "what parents, grandparents and other constituents wanted by what seemed a huge margin" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/18). ESPN.com's Ben Goessling wrote the decision to put Peterson on the exempt list "looks like the prudent one financially, however clumsily the Vikings arrived at it." However, it is now "fair to wonder whether Peterson has played his final game" for the Vikings (ESPN.com, 9/17).

FANS' VOICES HEARD: In St. Paul, Tom Powers writes nobody "pushes the NFL around," as it is the league "that usually does the shoving." But this time, the local community, "its standards violated, leaped high and nipped the behemoth on the ankle." A large number of people "did not think Peterson should be allowed to represent their hometown team after being arrested on charges of child abuse." So they "wrote and emailed the team." When it "became clear that this was not going to go away, local sponsors and politicians also got involved." Powers: "My guess is that when national sponsors began to express discontent with the Wilfs' handling of the situation, owners all over the league took note" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 9/18).

ALL APOLOGIES: ESPN’s Mike Golic said he accepts the Vikings saying they made a mistake in their handling of Peterson. Golic said of Mark Wilf, "To me, one of the biggest mistakes is feeling the need -- after deactivating him Sunday -- to come out Monday and activate him. There was absolutely no need to do that, but I’m glad he stepped up and said that.” ESPN’s Mike Greenberg added, “In life, when you screw up, you can continue to try to cover it over or you can get up there and say, ‘I screwed up.’ That's what he did. It doesn't undue the fact that they blew it, but it is the right way to handle that” ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 9/18). NFL Network's Michael Silver credits the Wilfs, as they "repeatedly said, 'We made a mistake.' I think that hasn't been said enough from various quarters these last 10 days." Silver: "Left unsaid was, 'We faced a tremendous amount of pressure from sponsors, from our business partners ... and from fans'" (NFL Network, 9/17). But the Boston Globe's Bob Ryan said the Vikings' "hand was forced" because they are "subject to the court of public opinions verdict, which is guilty." Ryan: "They get no points; they get no credibility. They're not doing it right; they're doing what they have to do" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 9/17). Meanwhile, SI.com's Michael Rosenberg wrote the Vikings yesterday "tried a little too hard to stay on message" during their press conference. The Wilfs and Vikings GM Rick Spielman "stuck to their talking points, and it felt forced and insincere." It "was a desperate attempt by an organization to save itself from further embarrassment" (SI.com, 9/17).

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