Jerry Jones was granted one last chance to find religion Friday afternoon. The opportunity came from Deadspin, of all places, not a site Jones has had reason to be fond of through the years. ADVERTISING Jerry Jones was granted one
Jerry Jones was granted one last chance to find religion Friday afternoon. The opportunity came from Deadspin, of all places, not a site Jones has had reason to be fond of through the years.
And after Deadspin posted 48 photos of the victim in Greg Hardy’s domestic violence case from May, 2014, in a still flawed but more perfect Cowboys world, Jones would have released a statement saying this:
“While we believe we investigated Hardy’s past thoroughly before we signed him, we were not privy to the photos that were later shown to the NFL and released to the public Friday. The photos reflect that Hardy and his representatives were not, in any way, honest with us in their description of the events that took place that night. For that reason, we are suspending Hardy indefinitely from the team and he will not return until we have met with the victim and/or her representatives and those involved in the case to determine the accuracy of these photos.”
Needless to say, this did not happen.
Jones issued a statement that, once again, indicated he feels second chances are more important than setting examples for who should or should not wear the once prestigious star on their helmets.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said nothing and presumably won’t be heard from until after Sunday night’s game when my guess is he will tell us that he takes domestic violence seriously and that he has not seen the photos and that his focus after their release was on preparing to play the Philadelphia Football Eagles.
These are your Cowboys. This is how they operate.
There will come a time that the backlash from fans, from season-ticket holders and from sponsors will catch Jones’ attention. That time isn’t here. But I think it’s closer than Jones recognizes.
Fans have put up with a lot. This was true in the Landry era as well, we just didn’t live in an information age in which these transgressions became public. Cowboys fans remember Lance Rentzel, an outstanding receiver and at one time the husband of actress Joey Heatherton. They remember what got him into trouble (exposing himself to a minor) that led to his being traded.
Did we know he had done this in Minnesota before the Cowboys acquired him? I mean clearly the Cowboys knew but did the average fan? I don’t think so.
There’s a lot more where that came from.
But the Cowboys have taken “second chances” to a new level under Jones. Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, Greg Hardy — they all get a look in Dallas. Will defensive end David Irving and his domestic abuse charge (later dropped) against the mother of his child — one of several infractions that got him kicked off at Iowa State — get a mention on NBC’s Sunday Night Football?
I doubt it. His is just another name on the long list here, and Hardy trumps them all.
I wasn’t surprised at the outcry this weekend, just the misdirection of so much of it. People calling for the NFL and Roger Goodell to do something about Hardy? Uhh, that’s already happened. How do you think he was hit with a 10-game suspension to begin with?
Unlike the Cowboys, the NFL had seen the photos. The fact that they have now been released doesn’t mean the NFL can or should go back and penalize him again.
The Cowboys could, but of course they won’t. They could do more to monitor his behavior like the Rangers once did with Josh Hamilton, but the Cowboys don’t bother with that, either.
Hardy lives by himself downtown. He goes out for dinner or to have drinks by himself. The only time I ever ran into him, he offered to buy me a shot. Had this happened seven years ago, I would have had more stories to share with you, but I declined the offer.
Most of the time I don’t think Hardy is anything like what he is perceived to be away from the field. A good friend who sees him often says he’s polite, an excellent tipper and less self-absorbed than most of the professional athletes who run in these same circles. Amateur psychologists could probably have a field day with the fact Hardy expressed excitement when the third season of “Orange Is the New Black” was released on Netflix.
That’s a show filled almost solely with strong female characters — women in prison, many of whom have been abused along the way. Yes, it’s one of Hardy’s favorite shows.
For months, Hardy dated a casual friend of mine here, and she doesn’t fit the stereotype. She’s funny, smart and hasn’t dated other athletes despite many opportunities.
What does all of this mean? That there are, like many people, at least two sides to Greg Hardy? I suppose so.
But it doesn’t change what the Cowboys have permitted him to represent — the privileged athlete who can buy his way out of trouble if needed and always get a second chance as long as he retains a certain level of skill?
Ray Rice — totally repentant as far as anyone can tell and working to help people — isn’t viewed as retaining that skill level. So he sits, his NFL career either in limbo or already exhausted.
Greg Hardy will chase Sam Bradford Sunday, and he will be paid about $600,000 for his evening’s work and there’s a good chance he will sack the Eagles quarterback.
That is the only thing that matters in Jones’ world and Garrett’s too since he’s playing along. Stop thinking there’s a chance they will take a principled stand against domestic violence or anything else.
That will happen only when someone from AT&T picks up the phone and dials the big office at Valley Ranch.
