Over 72,000 have signed a change.org petition asking the NFL to quick Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy out of the league
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has continuously stood by his defensive end Greg Hardy in spite of public outcries against the troubled player. It’s doubtful that a petition will change his mind at this point, but it’s one more black mark against the franchise that many consider to be “America’s team.”
Reports have surfaced today that a change.org petition has garnered over 72,000 signatures from people who want the NFL to kick Hardy out of the league. The reality is that the Cowboys and Jerry Jones are a private business that don’t have to pay any attention to public opinion or any petition about their employment of Hardy. They are permitted by law to employ whomever they want. It does seem strange, however, in this era of public scrutiny in the NFL that the franchise would want to take on such a public relations nightmare.
During Roger Goodell’s tenure as NFL Commissioner the league has gone to great lengths to “protect the shield.” Goodell has taken it as a personal challenge to rule over America’s most popular sports league as a type of moral judge. Critics of the NFL’s lack of action as it pertains to Hardy’s continued employment by the Cowboys rightly wonder where that morality is in this case. Allowing Greg Hardy, a convicted abuser of a female, to continue to play in the NFL seems quite contrary to the league’s trend towards morality.
After all, this is the same league that cracked down on Ray Rice for his domestic abuse to the point where he can’t sniff a league contract now. Many casual fans applauded NFL franchises for refusing to give Rice a way back into the league despite his public displays of contrition. Of course, more ardent NFL fans know that Rice was an aging running back whose career was already in question. It was easy not to offer him a contract.
Hardy, on the other hand, is a dynamic defensive end entering the prime of his career. The Cowboys decided that his ability and talent were worth the potential public relations nightmare. It’s likely a decision they are regretting now considering their record, but it’s a risk they’d no doubt take again. If Jerry Jones and Dallas hadn’t been comfortable with the risk then someone else would have. There was zero change that a player as talented as Greg Hardy wasn’t going to get another shot in the NFL.
The sobering truth is that a 72,000 signature petition doesn’t get the attention of anyone associated with the NFL. If the public and fans really want to demonstrate change they’re going to have to come up with a much larger display of their discontent; preferably one that’s associated with millions of dollars. Otherwise, the risk will continue to be worth the potential reward for teams like the Cowboys when it comes to players like Hardy.