Free agent defensive end Greg Hardy is going to decide today between the Cowboys and Buccaneers.
But one of his former teammates suggested that those two teams be sure of what they’re buying.
Via Todd Archer of ESPN.com, former Panthers tight end Ben Hartsock said during an interview on ESPN 103.3 FM that you had to be mindful that Hardy’s not always the same character.
“You trust him to the extent that you don’t necessarily know what you’re going to get,” Hartsock said. “The Greg Hardy that was on the field was going to be a nightmare for the opposing team. But then you go in and everybody is in the hot tub or the cold tub after practice just shooting the breeze and the guy carries on a very reasonable, level-headed inquisitive type of conversation.
“But then there are other times when he’s just unmanageable. And that’s why I think things have gotten in trouble with his personal life. He’s going have to go a long ways to earn the trust of any organization, whether it be Dallas or any other franchise across the league.
“His reputation has now become an Achilles heel. Trustworthy is kind of a sliding scale in the NFL. If you’re talented and you have the ability and some skills that no one else has, trustworthiness can be slid a little bit more. Like I said, there aren’t many people like him on the planet that can play and that can do the things that he does. But we are also in an NFL environment right now where any off-the-field liability is frowned upon very strongly.”
Of course, that’s why it’s taken a double-digit sack producer like Hardy more than a week to find a deal. And why it won’t be the same kind of contract an equivalent rusher without the baggage would have gotten.
Still, Hartsock (who played with Hardy for three years in Carolina) acknowledged that Hardy’s talent is rare.
“Well, I think that’s a great question,” Hartsock said when asked if Hardy could be trusted. “When he’s on the field, he’s a dominant force. Because of that, he’s going to get more leniency. The issue he has right now is whether he’s too toxic. He’s going to be on a very, very short leash. If he screws up one more time, I believe he’ll be on his way out. But I do believe he’s going to get another chance and I think he deserves it.”
We’ll see when Hardy makes his decision, and what the numbers look like, how long of a leash he has.
