Troubled former NFL star Greg Hardy is looking to get back into football, apparently with hopes of getting back to the NFL.
According to a report from Rob Maddi of The Associated Press, “Hardy has submitted an application to play in an independent football league in April.”
Maddi also detailed that while Hardy won’t be paid and the league has no affiliation with the NFL, it will likely be scouted by NFL teams.
Hardy is far from the only NFL player (past or present) to have a troubling past regarding domestic violence. His case was particularly ugly because of the released pictures of his victim and the fact that he took so long to show any remorse and when he did, it wasn’t exactly convincing.
Ultimately, though, that may give teams some pause, but it won’t keep him out of the league. Hardy was a decent player for the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. Nothing more. Nothing less. He didn’t play at all in 2016. Because of that, there’s genuine doubt as to whether he can still be an effective player.
If Hardy doesn’t return to the NFL in 2017, it will ultimately be because he didn’t show enough on the field. If he does, then he, whatever team signs him, and likely the NFL in general, will be on the receiving end of a lot of bad press. Frankly, it won’t be undeserved.