The NFL Finally Gets It Right By Suspending Greg Hardy

Greg Hardy Will Appeal His 10 Game Suspension

When I was a kid, I was often told that money made the world go round.  I was also told that money is the root of all evil.  So you can imagine my confusion when it came to these two sayings.  Does that mean the whole world functions on inequities and nefarious behaviors?  Can people actually buy morals?

In the case of Greg Hardy - the answer is yes, yes, and yes.

In case you don't know the story let me sum it up for you:  Hardy was found guilty by a North Carolina judge of attacking and threatening his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder in 2014. 

The entire length of the situation is very long and detailed.  If you want to read the details, click here.

Hardy, of course, appealed the ruling and the case was in the process to be reviewed by a jury. During this time, Holder went "missing" and would not cooperate with the prosecution. So naturally the charges were dropped. 

However, Holder chose not to show up because of the fact that Hardy paid her not to.

The first question that comes to mind is how can a sixth-round pick with no major contract afford to pay off his accuser in such a disturbing case?  It's simple, the NFL enabled him to by paying him for 2014.

Hardy signed the franchise tag with the Panthers before the 2014 season.  When the details of his case emerged the NFL placed him on the Comissioner's Exempt List, but still paid him.  Hardy made $13 million for playing in just one game.  

It's easy to connect the dots.  And the NFL proved that yesterday.

After the charges against Hardy were dropped, the NFL hired their own investigative unit.  Lisa Friel, the former head of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit in New York City, led the investigation with other NFL officials.  

Pictures of Holder were sent to the unit for review.  What they saw from the photos - as well as the evidence produced in court - was enough to confirm that Hardy did in fact attack Holder.

So yesterday the NFL decided to suspend Hardy for 10 games without pay.  

Can we get a standing ovation?

The APs and Ray Rices of the world got their due justice and hopefully they will never commit the crimes they did again.  Taking away a player's right to play the game they love should be enough to assure that the same mistake won't be repeated.

But if you really want to send a message:  Take away their money, too.

Suspending a player with pay is like sending your misbehaving child to their room with the Xbox, TV and radio all still at their disposal.  Yes, they may not be thrilled to be locked in that box, but they still can find multiple ways to enjoy themselves and not fully understand the situation.

So, you remove the Xbox, TV and radio.

I believe that goes for NFL players, too.  These guys are so prideful in the amount of money they make and their standard of living, if you were to take that away from them it would be a major blow.  Getting paid $13 million just to sit around sounds like a GREAT deal to me!

The NFL concluded that Hardy violated the league's Personal Conduct Policy multiple times when he decided to toss Holder around his condo like a rag doll and then proceed to choke her and tell her he was going to kill her.

This is a new era in the NFL: if you attack a woman, you will be punished.  And it will be just.  They are drawing the line when it comes to domestic violence - and it is a very clear line.

Hardy will appeal the suspension and he will most likely get it knocked down to 4-6 games based on the new policy against domestic violence.  But he still won't get paid.

The NFL no longer gives room to the inconsistencies of the law when it comes to their players.  It is a privelege to play this game and they will not have anyone tarnish their image.  

Yes, it took a very long time to reach this point.  But the NFL seems to be on the right track.

Better late than never.