The Cowboys yesterday made a "bold albeit controversial move," signing free agent DE Greg Hardy to a "one-year, incentive-laden deal" worth up to $13.1M with bonuses, according to Clarence Hill of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. There was no signing bonus, so there is "minimal risk by the Cowboys beyond the base salary." Hardy’s cap figure is a "team-friendly" $3.2M for '15. But it also is a "controversial move because of his off-the-field issues." Hardy is on the NFL's commissioner’s exempt list "because of a domestic violence conviction" in July '14. Hardy appealed, asking for a jury trial, but the case "was eventually dismissed." Now, the NFL is "doing its own investigation," and Hardy could "face a four-to-six game suspension this season." But the NFL "may need the court records as evidence." The Cowboys have a "history of giving players second chances." DT Josh Brent is on the roster after "being convicted of vehicular manslaughter in the death of teammate Jerry Brown." In the end, the "salary cap-strapped Cowboys didn’t want to pay market value for help in free agency, which is why Hardy and his risky off-the-field situation turned into a opportunity to strike it big without much risk or investment" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 3/19). SI.com's Ben Eagle gave the Cowboys a B+ grade for signing Hardy, noting from a "purely football perspective, this is a solid deal." But the public relations "fallout is what knocks this grade down." The signing "will help" the Cowboys on the field, but it "could be a hard sell to fans" (SI.com, 3/18). In Dallas, Kevin Sherrington writes no matter "what you believe" about Hardy, he is a "premier pass rusher, the most-valued quality on the defensive side of the ball." Teams will "generally take chances on a talented if troubled player when they think they’re close to contending for a championship and there’s no better recourse" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/19).
CHARACTER TRAITS: In Dallas, David Moore in a front-page piece notes Cowboys coach Jason Garrett yesterday "was unavailable for comment but has consistently spoken of the importance of building a team with 'the right kind of guys.'" Moore: "No one questions Hardy's ability. Questions are reserved for his conduct and behavior toward women" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/19). In Ft. Worth, Mac Engel in a front-page piece writes Garrett "has said everything about character" with Hardy's addition. Garrett is a "fraud just like every other football coach in the NFL, or college, when it comes to character." Garrett is as "desperate as the rest, and character matters when it’s convenient." Engel: "We already knew this, but this is yet another reminder. ... How do you explain Greg Hardy to a 5-year-old, or any kid? Everybody deserves a second chance. But how do you explain that to a kindergartner who believes that boys don’t hit girls and people should keep their hands to themselves?" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 3/19). Meanwhile, Dallas-based WFAA-ABC's Dale Hansen said, "Just when I begin to think the Cowboys can’t possibly sink any lower, they can’t fall from grace any more than they have, they find another shovel and dig a few feet deeper." He added, "I don’t care how good he is. ... Is there no line you won’t cross? Is there no crime you won’t accept? Is there no behavior you will not tolerate?" Hansen: "The Cowboys have decided players who use illegal drugs can play. You drive drunk and kill a teammate, putting everyone on that highway at risk -- there’s a place on this team for you. You can rob a department store and play. And now you can beat a woman and play with a star on your helmet" (WFAA-ABC, 3/18).
TOO MUCH BAGGAGE FOR BUCS: In Tampa, Rick Stroud reports the Buccaneers had been interested in signing Hardy, but decided yesterday that Hardy's talent "wasn't worth the trouble." Buccaneers GM Jason Licht said, "At the end of the day, we didn't feel good about it." Licht added that the decision "was not based on finances and he was confident" in the move not to sign Hardy. He said, "Sometimes the best deals you make are the ones you don't" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 3/19). ESPN's Mike Golic said, "Teams have a choice whether they want to sign him or not and there were definitely more than a few teams that said, ‘We’re not going down that road. Not doing it.’ But you knew there were going to be a couple of teams that would” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 3/19).
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: In Charlotte, Michael Gordon reports the NFL yesterday "filed suit ... seeking the evidence gathered" against Hardy. Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray "was named as the defendant." According to its complaint, the NFL "wants photographs" of his ex-girlfriend's injuries, the "statement from a witness in Hardy’s home the night of the incident, and a photograph shot by a Hardy guest of a cache of weapons laid out on a futon in the player’s bedroom, among other exhibits" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/19). ESPN.com's David Newton noted the complaint filed on behalf of the NFL by Charlotte attorney H.M. Whitesides, Jr. stated in part, "We believe that the exhibits [qualify] as public records under the Public Record Act." In the complaint, Whitesides wrote he has "been instructed to file an appropriate action in Superior Court to compel disclosure" if the evidence is not turned over. Newton noted Hardy "met with league officials" two weeks ago at NFL HQ in N.Y. and "reportedly turned over documents from his case in his attempt to get the league to reinstate him" (ESPN.com, 3/18). ESPNW.com's Jane McManus wrote if the league is "going to get the Hardy suspension right, it needs to stick with whatever the initial suspension is." Even under the NFL's old personal conduct policy, that suspension "could have been six games." However, the "bigger message" in the Cowboys-Hardy deal is that "talent still trumps character in the NFL, no matter how many PowerPoint tutorials on domestic violence that players have to sit through." There is a "new message, but it's an old calculus" (ESPNW.com, 3/18).
