Cowboys fans welcome Hardy, but there’s still a dark cloud
Greg Hardy’s debut spoke volumes about why the Dallas Cowboys brought in the troubled defensive end.
Two sacks, a forced fumble, five quarterback hits … any other questions?
“He’s an animal, didn’t you see?” defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. “They let the bear out of the cage and I’m glad they did. He helps our team tremendously.”
The reception of the team was just phenomenal. The acceptance on the field was awesome. Those guys are responsive. You wave your hands up, they start yelling. I love it. It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before.
Greg Hardy on Dallas Cowboys fans
There’s no question that Hardy makes a significant impact on the Cowboys’ defense, a guy with elite pass rushing skills who can disrupt the quarterback seemingly every play. But, as Mincey alluded to, there’s a reason Hardy found himself locked in a proverbial cage for 14 months.
He has off-field baggage that makes him one of the more polarizing players in the game. today.
Hardy spent the final 15 games last season on the commissioner’s exempt list in the aftermath of a May 2014 domestic violence incident, and then served a four-game suspension this season after an NFL investigation concluded he violated the league’s personal conduct policy multiple times by using physical force against an ex-girlfriend.
Then Hardy made more negative headlines earlier this week when he returned from his suspension and met with reporters for the first time Tuesday. He had a poor choice of words in saying he wanted to come out “guns blazin’,” considering the investigation concluded part of the physical force he used on his ex-girlfriend included tossing her on a futon with at least four semi-automatic rifles.
He also mentioned why he enjoyed facing Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, referencing Brady’s supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen.
Did Hardy regret making those comments?
“Any other questions?” Hardy answered during his postgame interview session.
Hardy uttered that phrase a total of six times following the game to any questions regarding his Brady comments or off-field issues.
Hardy offered praise for Brady at one point, though, saying: “Phenomenal player, man. They had a great game today. Everybody was just clicking on their team. They did what they normally do.”
The same can be said for Hardy on the field. The 2013 Pro Bowler showed few signs of rust in leading a pass rush that sacked Brady a record five times in the first half.
Linebacker Rolando McClain had the Cowboys’ first sack on the fourth play of the game, with Hardy closing on it too.
Hardy notched his first sack of the season on the Patriots’ second drive, tackling Brady for a 7-yard loss. He came through with a strip-sack early in the second quarter, although the Patriots recovered the fumble.
“I was so excited to be out there,” Hardy said. “Grateful for the opportunity.”
The Patriots neutralized Hardy and the rest of the Cowboys pass rush in the second half, not allowing a sack. Hardy came close, but arrived a split second too late, on a 59-yard TD strike from Brady to Julian Edelman early in the fourth quarter.
More than his play, though, the bigger storyline continues to be his off-field issues. Hall of Fame quarterback and Fox analyst Terry Bradshaw became the latest to rip the Cowboys for giving Hardy a second chance.
On the FOX pregame show, Bradshaw said: “Anybody, in my opinion, that lays a hand on a woman, I don’t care who you are my friend, you never come back in this league.”
Bradshaw went on to say that Hardy made “a fool of himself” with his comments earlier in the week. And it doesn’t stop there for Hardy.
A rap video surfaced over the weekend featuring Hardy making disparaging comments about women. Owner Jerry Jones said the organization wasn’t aware of the rap video when they signed Hardy last March, and it wasn’t part of their due diligence.
“I’m not so sure that a video audit is part of our due diligence,” Jones said. “We take this matter very, very, very seriously.”
In the end, Hardy’s off-field issues certainly didn’t seem to bother the Cowboys faithful, or at least the vocal majority. They roared whenever the Cowboys Stadium video board showcased him dancing or trying to get the crowd amped up.
Hardy appreciated the support.
“The reception of the team was just phenomenal,” Hardy said. “The acceptance on the field was awesome. Those guys are responsive. You wave your hands up, they start yelling.
“I love it. It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before.”
This story was originally published October 11, 2015 at 9:24 PM with the headline "Cowboys fans welcome Hardy, but there’s still a dark cloud."