Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, who played just one game this past season after being placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, is set to become a free agent in March.
Now according to this report by Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, the Panthers are not expected to bring Hardy back in 2015.
Citing Hardy’s current legal bout regarding domestic violence charges, the report indicates that the team simply isn’t comfortable bringing him back. In addition to this, Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman had previously decided to use the franchise tag on Hardy last offseason. With a less-than-stellar salary cap situation and the selection of defensive end Kony Ealy in the draft last May, the writing was definitely on the wall here.
Back in July, a district court judge in North Carolina found Hardy guilty of assaulting and then threatening to kill his girlfriend. Hardy has since appealed for a jury trial, which will start on Monday.
After an increasing amount of pressure from the public, the NFL finally placed Hardy on the Commissioner’s Exempt List following Carolina’s Week 1 game. Prior to that, the league was prepared to wait until the conclusion of Hardy’s legal matters. Hardy still collected his entire $13.1 million salary in 2014.
On the field, there’s little question about Hardy’s performance. Before sitting out all but one game this past season, the former Mississippi standout had put up 26 sacks over the past two years. He’s seen as an elite pass-rush option, which should interest teams that run a basic 4-3 defense.
With that said, Hardy’s off-field issues coupled with a potential six-game ban under the league’s new domestic violence program could lead some teams to back away from the table.
Photo: ESPN