Greg Hardy is not going to take a suspension quietly

New Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy might face a suspension from the NFL, but he plans to appeal any ban that is handed down.

Wednesday, the NFL decided to review seven photos from Greg Hardy’s initial trail for domestic abuse, and Hardy will likely face a punishment of some kind depending on the league’s findings.

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Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reports that Hardy has offered to serve a one-game suspension “with the thinking that two games would be a fair compromise.” Anything longer than that, says Cole, and Hardy will automatically appeal.

Cole’s report also includes information on the photos in question, saying that only one shows a bruise on the victim.

A long suspension is not expected.

Hardy signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason after spending all but one game last year on the commissioner’s exempt list after his arrest for domestic violence. The time spent on the exempt list will not factor into his potential suspension.

The photos the league will be reviewing in question show injuries of Hardy’s ex-girlfriend, Nichole Holder, who accused him of domestic violence last year, sating that the 6’4″, 275-pound Hardy choked her and threatened to kill her.

Hardy was initially found guilty, but in a jury trial in February, the charges against the defensive end were eventually dropped after Holder refused to appear in court, reportedly after receiving a payment from Hardy.

Hardy will not be paid for any games missed in a suspension.

Luckily, the NFL has a spotless reputation for handling situations like this, so we should expect nothing but the best.

… oh wait.

There are those who will argue that Hardy shouldn’t be punished by the league for an offense of which he was acquitted in an actual trial; that the NFL should stay out of non-football issues, and let actual judges and juries handle that.

There’s some truth to that. But in any job, there would probably be consequences for anyone caught up in this kind of case; employers like to know what kind of people they have on their payroll. Plus, professional sports league don’t really have any analogue in any other field; they kind of just do whatever they want.

Hardy likely won’t face any serious consequences; a two-game suspension seems the most likely outcome, with the possibility that he will be suspended a bit longer. But the NFL can’t use this to make up for the many debacles of last year’s Ray Rice fiasco; and opponents of accused abusers staying in the NFL won’t get their wish either.

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