Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce called it “a joke” that Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy is playing in the NFL.
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson also was outspoken after the Eagles’ 33-27 overtime win over the Cowboys on Sunday night.
Photos showing bruises and abrasions on the body of Hardy’s former girlfriend, Nicole Holder, were publicly released on Friday when Deadspin published them on its website. The Cowboys claim they did not see the pictures before signing Hardy.
“There are three (types) of people I have zero respect for in this world,” Kelce told the Philadelphia Daily News. “It’s people who hit women, people who molest children, and rapists. I’m glad he (Hardy) didn’t have a good day and … I don’t know. I think it’s a joke a guy like that is able to play this quickly.”
The domestic violence charges filed last year against Hardy have been expunged. Hardy originally was suspended for 10 games by the NFL for multiple violations of its personal-conduct policy resulting from an incident with Holder in the spring of 2014 while he was with the Carolina Panthers.
Hardy was found guilty by a Mecklenburg County (N.C.) judge of assault and making death threats against Holder. However, Hardy appealed the ruling, and the charges against him were dismissed after Holder refused to cooperate with the district attorney’s office. Hardy reportedly reached a civil settlement with Holder, which prompted her to not show up for the jury trial.
Hardy had three tackles and recorded the Cowboys’ lone sack Sunday night, but he was not a significant factor in the game’s outcome.
“Any time I had a chance to put a little extra mustard on a block, I tried,” Johnson told the Daily News. “He wasn’t all that emotional in the game. I guess he is in other games. I don’t know if the stuff got to him on the news, but he kind of seemed out of it a little bit.”
After the photos were released, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the team did not have access to the photos when it signed Hardy, but he continued to support the defensive end.
Jones defended Hardy’s “second chance” again after the game.
“Greg has a commitment to us,” Jones said. “He has a commitment to do the right thing. We expect him to do the right thing. He has a commitment to his teammates and our team. The way it’s set up in the NFL, relative to behavior, and in fact we wanted to give Greg a second chance.
“And you lose that in the NFL if you don’t do the right things. If he will do the right things, if he will take advantage of the opportunities that he has got there and this second chance, then we’ll see how it goes.”
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett addressed one question from reporters about Hardy but declined to answer three others.
“We decided we were giving him a second chance, but in doing so, the expectations and the standards we set would be very clear to him and how he and, really, everybody else is supposed to conduct themselves on the football field and off the football field,” Garrett said.
Hardy did not talk to reporters after the game. He tweeted out a short message Saturday night: “Just had to say I express my regret 4 what happened in past and I’m Dedicated to being the best person & teammate that I can be. … but mostly I am Grateful 4 the opportunity to play in NFL.”