It’s not yet known whether Greg Hardy will return to the Dallas Cowboys for the 2016 season. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in March after signing a one-year deal with the team last summer.
Hardy’s one season in Dallas wasn’t necessarily a smashing success. He became what has to be called a headache for the team — a team that itself fell on hard times following multiple injuries to star players.
From an in-game meltdown on the sideline to multiple comments that were not received well by the public, this ultra-enigmatic former Pro Bowler simply didn’t provide Dallas for a payoff on the risk it took by signing him.
Now comes this report from Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News. In addition to having to be given an added security presence during the final month or so of the season, Hardy’s teammates soured on him.
“Hardy became such a worry for the Cowboys that over the last month of the season they had an extra security presence around him at times to check up on him.”
There’s no indication one way or another whether this security presence was in response to any specific issues Hardy had with other member of the Cowboys. It’s also not all too uncommon within that organization, as the team had in the past taken the same steps with receiver Dez Bryant.
What is telling here is that Hardy simply didn’t mesh well with his teammates:
“A few teammates who had supported Hardy early began to sour on him late in the season, in part because his perpetual tardiness for team meetings never resulted in a reduction of playing time.”
A player with major off-field issues being brought into the locker room is one thing. Seeing him treated differently is a completely different thing.
It’s not yet known whether these issues will lead to the Cowboys avoiding the possibility of retaining him. Though, based on the risk/reward we saw during the 2015 season, that seems highly unlikely.
Suspended for the first four games of the season due to a domestic violence issue off the field, Hardy racked up just six sacks in 12 games, including 1.5 in his final six outings for the four-win Cowboys.