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The NFL hands down a suspension that could potentially keep Hardy off the field for ten games.
Greg Hardy was notified today that he is suspended without pay for the team’s first 10 games of the 2015 regular season for conduct detrimental to the league.
"In a letter from Commissioner Roger Goodell, Hardy was informed that an extensive two-month NFL investigation following the dismissal of his case in North Carolina state court determined that there was sufficient credible evidence that Hardy engaged in conduct that violated NFL policies in multiple respects and with aggravating circumstances," a surprisingly lengthy NFL press release starts off before losing itself in the minutiae of what the NFL did to arrive at the suspension.
Hardy's suspension will begin on September 5, though he will be eligible to participate is the Cowboys' offseason program, training camp, and preseason games. In the unlikely event that the suspension should be upheld on appeal, he’ll be eligible to return after the 10th game of the season, which would mean a return against the Panthers.
Under the NFL's new domestic violence policy, domestic violence is an automatic 6-game suspension, not a 10-game suspension. In any case, that rule was only implemented after Greg Hardy's arrest on the domestic violence charges.
Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News reports via Twitter that "Source says that Dallas Cowboys DE Greg Hardy will immediately appeal the NFL's 10-game suspension," and Chris Mortensen of ESPN also confirmed that Hardy will appeal the suspension via the NFLPA.
That appeal will likely result in a lesser suspension, which has to make you wonder why the NFL would hand down a 10-game suspension in the first place, knowing full well that it will get overturned, something their lengthy and carefully worded press release fails to address with a single word - except to say that "Hardy may appeal the decision within three days."
NFLPA case on behalf of Greg Hardy will be simple -- arguing he should be grandfathered into old DV system with Peterson as precedent.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 22, 2015
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