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Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy has always been someone who struggles to say the right words at the right time. That hasn't changed.
ESPN aired Adam Schefter's one-on-one interview with Hardy from Mississippi in full on Tuesday, and Hardy again showed little remorse for his actions.
Hardy returned to Oxford, Miss., this offseason after a tumultuous year with the Cowboys to finish his college degree. Hardy, who has a newborn son, left college nine hours shy of a bachelor's degree in graphic design.
A month into free agency, Hardy has garnered little interest from teams. If Hardy's plan with the interview was to finally show remorse and help clear his name in an effort to make him not as toxic to teams, the former Pro Bowler failed miserably.
Former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson called Hardy's interview "damaging," on NFL Live on Tuesday, adding, "Do I feel like Greg Hardy is believable? Absolutely not."
Here are three takeaways from Hardy's interview Tuesday:
· Hardy's interview reeked of desperation rather than contrition: During his only season with the Cowboys last year, Hardy was given several opportunities to express remorse for his involvement in a domestic violence incident with his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder, even before graphic photos emerged that allegedly showed her injuries. Hardy never did show any remorse. Now, with his NFL career in limbo because teams haven't blown up the phone of his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, Hardy is coming forward at a time that would seemingly benefit him. But Hardy again did himself no favors by continuing to not express remorse and failing to explain what exactly happened. Instead, he referred to himself as an innocent man. He even, at times, painted himself as a victim: "I came out of it and still suffer repercussions of it." This isn't a tricky situation for Hardy. If he truly believed he was innocent, he would have stood on a mountain and screamed it well before now in an attempt to clear his name. Hardy said he's been treated like a "leper of sort." Hardy continues to be someone who wears a Superman shirt in his caveman world. He was asked about getting a second chance in the NFL when Ray Rice didn't. He said he doesn't want to compare cases, adding, "but I'd say it's the story of an innocent man and a guilty man."
·
Hardy again tried to hide behind his alternate persona rather than face the mirror: Since he was a teenager, Hardy has asked many close to him to refer to him by other names that fit his alter egos. He asked high school coaches to call him "DK," which he explained was some sort of translation for "African Warrior." Of course, these days, he goes by the Kraken, a nickname based on a mythical sea creature (picture a giant squid). The bottom line here is that Hardy has long had a false sense of reality, always teetering between a mythical world that is seemingly far more pleasant for him than the reality of his situation. It's a way for Hardy to camouflage his real issues and keeps him from owning up to his mistakes. In the interview, he kept referring to himself as the $22 million man, as if he's above it all. "As a football player of my caliber, there are situations inside that situation that has nothing to do with the situation, but I should've done better." Later, Hardy added, "A franchise player should act like a $22 million dollar man, and I don't think that was going on all the time."
·
Hardy characterized his year with the Cowboys, in part, by saying he put himself in position to be attacked: From the time the Cowboys took a chance on Hardy by signing him to a one-year deal despite all the blowback, the defensive end was a problem for Jason Garrett. From insensitive tweets and comments to sideline outbursts, Hardy became a daily headache for the Cowboys coach. "Being a Dallas Cowboy," Hardy said, "is not being a regular football player. The lights are on all the time." Hardy said he realized that too late. If anyone should have realized he'd be in the spotlight, it was Hardy. Coming off of his domestic violence arrest, Hardy was going to be scrutinized at every turn. Surely, not even the Kraken is that naïve. Here's how he defended his insensitive comments during the season: "I put myself in a situation that I could be attacked. I'm an entertainer. I do interviews and try to be entertaining. ... I got caught up in a situation. ... It was a long year. I'm the one to blame." Teammates soured on Hardy throughout the season in Dallas. Hardy was asked what disappointed him the most over the last few years. "Putting a wedge between the team, and that happened. I put myself in these situations. I didn't do well enough." Hardy continues to face an uncertain future, one in which his NFL career could be over if no other team takes a chance on him the way Jerry Jones did a year ago. "It'd be life-changing," Hardy said about not playing ever again in the league. "It's hard to think about loving something and it being taken away." Hardy has no one to blame but himself.
Twitter: @DMN_George
Source:http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dal...elp-greg-hardy-free-agent-de-failed-miserably
ESPN aired Adam Schefter's one-on-one interview with Hardy from Mississippi in full on Tuesday, and Hardy again showed little remorse for his actions.
Hardy returned to Oxford, Miss., this offseason after a tumultuous year with the Cowboys to finish his college degree. Hardy, who has a newborn son, left college nine hours shy of a bachelor's degree in graphic design.
A month into free agency, Hardy has garnered little interest from teams. If Hardy's plan with the interview was to finally show remorse and help clear his name in an effort to make him not as toxic to teams, the former Pro Bowler failed miserably.
Former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson called Hardy's interview "damaging," on NFL Live on Tuesday, adding, "Do I feel like Greg Hardy is believable? Absolutely not."
Here are three takeaways from Hardy's interview Tuesday:
· Hardy's interview reeked of desperation rather than contrition: During his only season with the Cowboys last year, Hardy was given several opportunities to express remorse for his involvement in a domestic violence incident with his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder, even before graphic photos emerged that allegedly showed her injuries. Hardy never did show any remorse. Now, with his NFL career in limbo because teams haven't blown up the phone of his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, Hardy is coming forward at a time that would seemingly benefit him. But Hardy again did himself no favors by continuing to not express remorse and failing to explain what exactly happened. Instead, he referred to himself as an innocent man. He even, at times, painted himself as a victim: "I came out of it and still suffer repercussions of it." This isn't a tricky situation for Hardy. If he truly believed he was innocent, he would have stood on a mountain and screamed it well before now in an attempt to clear his name. Hardy said he's been treated like a "leper of sort." Hardy continues to be someone who wears a Superman shirt in his caveman world. He was asked about getting a second chance in the NFL when Ray Rice didn't. He said he doesn't want to compare cases, adding, "but I'd say it's the story of an innocent man and a guilty man."
·
Hardy again tried to hide behind his alternate persona rather than face the mirror: Since he was a teenager, Hardy has asked many close to him to refer to him by other names that fit his alter egos. He asked high school coaches to call him "DK," which he explained was some sort of translation for "African Warrior." Of course, these days, he goes by the Kraken, a nickname based on a mythical sea creature (picture a giant squid). The bottom line here is that Hardy has long had a false sense of reality, always teetering between a mythical world that is seemingly far more pleasant for him than the reality of his situation. It's a way for Hardy to camouflage his real issues and keeps him from owning up to his mistakes. In the interview, he kept referring to himself as the $22 million man, as if he's above it all. "As a football player of my caliber, there are situations inside that situation that has nothing to do with the situation, but I should've done better." Later, Hardy added, "A franchise player should act like a $22 million dollar man, and I don't think that was going on all the time."
·
Hardy characterized his year with the Cowboys, in part, by saying he put himself in position to be attacked: From the time the Cowboys took a chance on Hardy by signing him to a one-year deal despite all the blowback, the defensive end was a problem for Jason Garrett. From insensitive tweets and comments to sideline outbursts, Hardy became a daily headache for the Cowboys coach. "Being a Dallas Cowboy," Hardy said, "is not being a regular football player. The lights are on all the time." Hardy said he realized that too late. If anyone should have realized he'd be in the spotlight, it was Hardy. Coming off of his domestic violence arrest, Hardy was going to be scrutinized at every turn. Surely, not even the Kraken is that naïve. Here's how he defended his insensitive comments during the season: "I put myself in a situation that I could be attacked. I'm an entertainer. I do interviews and try to be entertaining. ... I got caught up in a situation. ... It was a long year. I'm the one to blame." Teammates soured on Hardy throughout the season in Dallas. Hardy was asked what disappointed him the most over the last few years. "Putting a wedge between the team, and that happened. I put myself in these situations. I didn't do well enough." Hardy continues to face an uncertain future, one in which his NFL career could be over if no other team takes a chance on him the way Jerry Jones did a year ago. "It'd be life-changing," Hardy said about not playing ever again in the league. "It's hard to think about loving something and it being taken away." Hardy has no one to blame but himself.
Twitter: @DMN_George
Source:http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dal...elp-greg-hardy-free-agent-de-failed-miserably
