Despite controversy, Hardy becomes quick hit with Cowboys

There’s no easy place to start when it comes to Greg Hardy.

It’s tough to ignore the obvious — he spent the final 15 games on the commissioner’s exempt list last season and served a four-game suspension to begin this season related to a May 2014 domestic violence incident.

That is severe enough, in some people’s minds, that Hardy shouldn’t have been given another opportunity in the NFL.

His actions and comments following the incident have bordered on tone deaf, such as saying he wanted to return “guns blazin’ ” — Hardy was accused of throwing his ex-girlfriend on a couch covered with guns — and expressing his excitement to see Tom Brady’s wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, in his return.

On the flip side, though, Hardy receives nothing but praise from the Cowboys coaching staff and his teammates. They love his work ethic, his relentless motor and, yes, his infectious personality.

And, for the most part, the fans have embraced Hardy. He became beloved by some Cowboys fans when he donated money to fly a fan-funded, pro-Cowboys banner over a Philadelphia Eagles practice during training camp, and drew loud ovations in his impressive debut against the New England Patriots.

Talk about a polarizing figure. Hardy is as difficult as any to put in perspective.

It’s impossible to ignore the off-field baggage. It’s impossible to ignore his on-field dominance.

“Greg has obviously been through a lot,” Drew Rosenhaus, his agent, said. “[Returning to the NFL] is a great moment for him. It’s been a long time. He’s just ready to help the Cowboys win and put everything in the past behind him.

“He’s got a lot of great things to look forward to. It’s a new beginning for him.”

Landing in Dallas

Improving the pass rush ranked among the top priorities for the Cowboys last off-season.

In 2014, they combined for only 28 sacks, and it showed in the postseason when they couldn’t get much pressure on a hobbled Aaron Rodgers during a divisional-round loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Given that, the Cowboys were willing to roll the dice on Hardy, a defensive end who most teams avoided pursuing in free agency.

Hardy was viewed as a public relations nightmare in the wake of the domestic violence incident. A Mecklenburg, N.C., district judge found Hardy guilty of assaulting and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder.

But Hardy filed an immediate appeal seeking a jury trial, and charges were dropped when Holder did not cooperate with law enforcement after receiving a reported financial settlement from Hardy.

The Cowboys were able to look past that in their pursuit of Hardy, who had 26 combined sacks between 2012-13. They reached a one-year, incentive-laden contract with him, giving up the option to use the franchise or transition tag on him this off-season and knowing a suspension loomed.

Why did Hardy’s camp jump at it?

“It wasn’t an easy process. There were several other teams interested without getting into all that,” Rosenhaus said. “It was actually pretty agonizing from our standpoint, but Greg picked the Cowboys for a number of reasons.

“One of them had to do with the fact it obviously is a prestigious organization and a team that had a lot of success. With Greg being on a one-year contract, we wanted to go to a team that was a winner and had a chance to win the Super Bowl this year. That was most important.

“There are a lot of other factors, too. The scheme; Greg is very good in the 4-3. He’s a big fan of Rod Marinelli. For all those reasons, it made a lot of sense, and that’s why Greg picked the Cowboys.”

Embraced by Cowboys

It’s almost impossible to find anyone within Valley Ranch to say a bad word about Hardy.

Ownership loves him. The coaching staff loves him. His teammates love him.

Hardy brings energy and passion to every practice, they say. He has a contagious personality that fuels the defense.

“In walk-throughs, he’s going hard and he’s watching his keys and making sure he’s playing the way he wants to in the game,” defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford said. “I don’t know if I want to say he’s going game speed, but he’s going at a good speed in the walk-throughs. He’s just around here with high spirits and just trying to bring everybody up. High energy.”

What Hardy does on the field remains the top priority for the Cowboys. Owner Jerry Jones has made it clear that signing Hardy was a football-driven move, obviously not PR related.

Hardy embraces that, too. Any off-field questions Hardy either ignores, or spins back to the field.

Responding to a question about what he had learned in his time away from the game during his first interview, Hardy said: “I’m a really good pass rusher when I put my mind to it. I had a good off-season and a good camp.”

Hardy certainly backed up those words with his play in his Cowboys debut against the Patriots. It didn’t take him long to register his first sack of the season, and he had two by halftime. He added a forced fumble and five tackles.

“That wasn’t surprising to see him have that kind of debut,” Jones said. “He prepares himself outstandingly. He practiced hard so he could play like that. He came in less weight than he had been. He prepared himself.

“There’s nobody on this team that’s surprised to see him make that kind of impact on the field.”

The ability to make an impact on the field, after all, is why Hardy is with the Cowboys.

Going forward

Polarizing sports figures are nothing new to the DFW landscape. But Hardy is different than any other.

His off-field issues cast a dark enough cloud that he might never be able to escape it fully. But he is also a unique character that is becoming endangered in sports.

You never now what is going to come out of Hardy’s mouth.

The first comments he made to the DFW media included a reference to his alter ego, “The Kraken.” He’ll say things such as: “I’m invincible, so I always try to feel the same — awesome and funny.”

But the Cowboys are working with him to tone it down. They want Hardy to become like most of their players, using clichés and saying a lot by saying a little.

That’s why Hardy uttered the phrase “any other questions?” six times in his postgame interview after his debut against the Patriots, and didn’t say anything too outlandish in a meeting with reporters Wednesday.

Instead, he went philosophical at times, saying things such as: “Confidence is an illusion. Preparation is everything. I’m going to get prepared for this week and next week.”

But there’s no question Hardy has ingratiated himself with fans on social media. He’s built a loyal following in his short time with the Cowboys.

Hardy seems to embrace it all, and isn’t afraid of the spotlight. And that’s a good thing, considering the Cowboys have not only a strong national interest, but worldwide too.

What does Hardy make of all the attention?

“Things change. We don’t change,” Hardy said. “Remember? Consistency. Gray matter. I just try to keep the same formula.

“It is awesome to have a ton more fans, to have a lot more of you guys [the media] to hang out with because it gets lonely in the locker room. But I think it’s awesome.”

So awesome, in fact, that Hardy doesn’t want his time with the team to last only 12 games.

Instead, he said, “I hope it lasts 12 years.”

This story was originally published October 18, 2015 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Despite controversy, Hardy becomes quick hit with Cowboys."