Greg Hardy reportedly applies for independent spring league

Greg Hardy has reportedly registered for independent spring football league.

There was a time when free agent defensive end Greg Hardy was considered a dominant force in the NFL. Now, Hardy is spoken in the same breath as troubled defensive end Alden Smith. Fortunately, there’s an independent league geared toward NFL free agents looking to attract NFL teams.

According to a report via ESPN, Hardy threw his hat into the ring and registered for the league:

"Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy has submitted an application to play in an independent football league in April, a person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press.The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the application. Hardy’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, didn’t immediately return a phone message.Hardy, who was arrested on a cocaine possession charge in a Dallas suburb in September, didn’t play last season after a tumultuous 2015 with the Cowboys. Hardy began that season by serving a four-game suspension for his role in a domestic violence case in North Carolina."

Could this be a step into the right direction for Hardy? Possibly. Hardy recorded 15 sacks for the Carolina Panthers in 2013.

But the domestic violence charge set his career back and he’s yet to recover. Missing 15 games in 2014 and another four due to suspension in 2015 (with the Dallas Cowboys) hurt his chances to ever become the dominant player he was with the Panthers.

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Hopefully, the year-long lay off this past year helped Hardy get his mind right for 2017. This independent league is a step in the right direction.