Carolina Panthers DE Greg Hardy wants off the exempt list
David Newton, ESPN:
Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy will look into the possibility of immediate reinstatement to play for Carolina after learning his domestic violence appeal trial set for November is being postponed until sometime after the NFL season, a source told ESPN's Ed Werder.
Hardy does not know what the chances are that commissioner Roger Goodell will consider accommodating the request, the source told Werder. Only Goodell can reinstate Hardy from the commissioner's exempt list. The defensive end has been ineligible to practice or to play, but still receives his full weekly game checks.
Hardy's trial was originally scheduled for Nov. 17. The new trial date has not been set, a source said.
Greg Hardy was given a 60-day suspended jail sentence and ordered to do 18 months of probation. He was found guilty of communicating threats and assault on a female by Judge, Becky Thorne-Tin. John Breech, CBSSports:
"He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me. I had never been so scared in my life," Nicole Holder said, via the Charlotte Observer. "I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly I said just, 'Do it. Kill me.' "
Under a North Carolina Constitutional Amendment, a defendant with a felony charge has a right to a jury trial. Greg Hardy was granted this request, but must wait his turn on the stand. Michael Gordon, Charlotte Observer:
“I can’t imagine a defense attorney with a client charged with a serious felony waiving a jury trial,” Richard Boner, the county’s senior resident Superior Court judge, said. “That lawyer would almost be guilty of malpractice.”
The attorney for Greg Hardy, Chris Fialko may want to brush up on North Carolina law. A 2005 study of the federal courts found that judges were three times more likely than jurors to acquit.
This is the criminal element in the NFL that former Pro Football Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Chuck Noll was referring to. NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell can gain some credibility by leaving Greg Hardy on the exempt list.
David Newton, ESPN:
Hardy's attorney, Chris Fialko, said on July 15 when he announced the player would appeal the guilty verdict of a Mecklenburg County judge that there are several older cases that might push Hardy's into 2015.
Greg might want to start attending some classes. Anger Management 101, 102, 103 and 104 would be good ones to attend.
Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.
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