Hardy's No Haley, and the Cowboys Should Pass on the Pass-Rusher

As a guy who cringes at Charles Haley going into the Hall of Fame, who isn’t thrilled about Joseph Randle retaining a roster spot, and who gets nauseous every time Josh Brent jogs onto the field, you know where I’m going to stand on the Cowboys’ potential flirtation with Greg Hardy.

No. Nope. And a lot more negatory.

I’m not denying that Hardy is an elite Pro Bowl player and one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers. He’ll soon be ae free agent. And, of course, the Cowboys’ defense still needs improvement along the defensive line.

But Hardy’s not a good fit. Because he’s a bad person.

Just ask the Panthers, who plan to flat out cut him. Or ask his ex-girlfriend, who … oops, it seems she’s disappeared.

Hardy, who was convicted in July of abusing and threatening to kill his ex, had charges dropped during his appeal Monday. During his first trial, Hardy's girlfriend accused him of dragging her by her hair, putting his hands around her throat, throwing her into a bathtub, tossing her on a futon covered with rifles, ripping a necklace off her neck and slamming a toilet lid on her arm when she tried to fish the jewelry out. Hardy then, according to prosecutors, attempted to cover up the incident with a fabricated 911 call.

Given the dismissal of his charges, maybe to some of you it means he’s an innocent man. Yet to some of us he remains a guilty man who just might have paid for his victim’s sudden silence.

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The Cowboys won a playoff game last season despite one of the league’s weakest pass rushes. Hardy and his 26 sacks over his last two full seasons would certainly help Rod Marinelli’s unit immediately.

But, more often than not, the Cowboys’ infatuation with bad boys has flopped. Yes, Haley – who was never a criminal, by the way – helped them win three Super Bowls. But do the names Alonzo Spellman, Tank Johnson, Terrell Owens or Pacman Jones ring a bell? All failed to live up to the hype on the field, or even to the Cowboys’ low standards of behavior off it.

Randle is a problem child who may have gun and/or domestic charges pending stemming from last week’s arrest in Wichita. And Brent’s second DUI killed his teammate, Jerry Brown. Hardy might have a clean record, but he’s got a dirty past.

And, remember, it’s head coach Jason Garrett who constantly chirps about winning with the “right kind of guys.”

The Cowboys can be a good team, without the addition of yet another bad character.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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