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NFL suspends Greg Hardy 10 games without pay, threatens to ban him for life

By Josh Hill

Aug 8, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy (76) sits on the sidelines during the first half of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy (76) sits on the sidelines during the first half of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NFL has suspended Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg hardy for 10 games in 2015 and threatened him with a lifetime ban. 

The Dallas Cowboys signed Greg Hardy knowing that a suspension was likely going to come down from the NFL — and that it did on Wednesday afternoon.

After an offseason of legal debate, the NFL has decided that a 10-game suspension is what Greg Hardy is due and levied that on Wednesday as the hammer has officially dropped on Hardy. The former panthers defensive end was charged with domestic abuse last year when he allegedly threatened his then-girlfriend with loaded weapons.

Despite this, and the fact that hardy missed all but one game in 2014, the Dallas Cowboys handed him a massive contract this season that was worth just a single season.

The suspension itself isn’t without some serious strings that help the Cowboys out a great deal. According to Mike Freeman, Greg Hardy will not be paid during his suspension, which drastically lowers his price for Dallas.

That’s huge, as Dallas is no longer on the hook for the entirity of his $11.3 million contract. That’s probably why they were so willing to throw that kind of cash at him for a single season, as Jerry Jones more than likely did his due diligence. In an interesting footnote, Hardy’s first game back will be against the Carolina Panthers — his old team — on Thanksgiving Day.

But this isn’t about the Cowboys — it’s about the new era of the NFL that we live in and Roger Goodell dropped the hammer as hard as he ever has. In addition to the 10-game suspension, Goodell mentioned in his letter to Hardy that another run-in could result in a lifetime ban.

That’s not to be taken lightly, as the NFL has been dragged through the mud for making examples out of Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice, but this is a game changer. Hardy has officially been made an example of, and the rest of the league is on notice in a way they haven’t been before.

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