He's getting killed in the media because he plays for the Dallas Cowboys. The incident just gives the media an excuse. Meanwhile, it's readily apparent that anybody that reads the case with open eyes can see that the media narrative is grossly inaccurate. What we do have an accurate account on is Adrian Peterson beating a 4-year old child so bad that it left permanent scars on the child and that even the most ardent believers in corporal punishment think he went over the line.
Yet, there are no demands that he be banned from the league. In fact, he spent less time off from the game than Hardy.
I fully believe that if Peterson had come to Dallas and Hardy went to Minnesota, Hardy would not be facing this amount of scrutiny and this scrutiny would instead go to Peterson and they would now be calling for Peterson to be banned.
I think the team is a bit in a wait-and-see mode and is more likely wondering if this plays out more like T.O. or if it plays out more like Josh Brent. If you recall, a team official actually said that the team didn't have a problem with TO as a teammate or a player or his behavior. But whether they liked it or not, the media was so much after the guy that it became a distraction regardless of what he did.
I think they are waiting to see how that plays out with Hardy this year. If it starts to die down or not.
Missed meetings could happen for a variety of valid reasons. He may have gotten the okay because he may have had some personal matter to attend to. He may have gotten the okay because he was rehabbing injuries instead (remember, he got hurt in the Seahawks game which is partly why he hasn't quite been himself). He may have been rehabbing and missed the meeting and the coaching staff wasn't on the same page and then they found out he was rehabbing and they were fine with it because they would have been okay with it if they knew beforehand.
This stuff happens all of the time all across the league. Just the Dallas media loves to jump to conclusions and treat them as fact.
Don't get me wrong...I disagree with this tact that Jerry and Rich Dalrymple use. They can't allow the media to dictate how the organization does things. If you have a great player and he is drawing unwanted attention over something that happened over a year ago and is doing really nothing wrong in continuing this distraction....then Jerry and Dalrymple need to do their job and diffuse this nonsense. Otherwise nothing every changes for the better and the media will just sink their claws into whatever player they feel they can make a media circus out of.
YR
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