Greg Hardy Crime
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy was found guilty Tuesday night of assaulting a female and communicating threats.
Mecklenburg County Judge Rebecca Thorn-Tin sentenced Hardy to 18 months' probation. A 60-day jail sentence was suspended.
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Hardy's attorney Chris Fialko said he'll appeal and Hardy has asked for a jury trial in superior court. In North Carolina that means the terms of Hardy's probation are on hold until the trial -- so he's free to travel with the team to training camp and compete in games.
A date for the jury trial hasn't been set.
Greg Hardy Crimes
In 2014, Hardy was arrested for assault after he was accused of attacking and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. The woman testified that Hardy threw her on a futon filled with guns and placed. Greg Hardy, a Pro-Bowl defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, was arrested on May 13 for assaulting an ex-girlfriend. On the arrest warrant, a police officer made the following statement.
The Panthers released a statement Tuesday night saying, 'We have just learned of the verdict and are respectful of the process. We do not have a comment at this time.'
Hardy and his agent Drew Rosenhaus refused to comment as they left the courtroom together.
The judge didn't buy Hardy's testimony that he was the one abused by the accuser and that he had asked her to leave his downtown apartment during a domestic dispute on May 13.
After nearly 11 hours of hearing testimony, Thorn-Tin told a somber Hardy that 'the court is entirely convinced Hardy is guilty of assault on a female and communicating threats.'
Earlier in the morning the accuser testified that she was assaulted by Hardy at his apartment after a night of drinking. She also said Hardy threatened to kill her and put his hands around her neck.
'He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me,' said the accuser, a 24-year-old cocktail waitress in downtown Charlotte. 'I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said just, `Do it. Kill me.'
The accuser said she had used cocaine on the night of the incident and had been drinking.
She described Hardy as jealous and controlling, mentioning several times that Hardy didn't allow her do some things because he often paid her rent. She said she didn't immediately give police a statement out of fear of retribution.
'He had told me in past if I took food out of his family's mouth he was going to kill me,' the accuser said.
Hardy and his business manager Sammy Curtis both testified that Hardy never hit nor threw the accuser, and didn't communicate threats. Hardy said the accuser became angry when he wouldn't have sex with her and left the room to sleep in the living room. He said the accuser then became angry and began slamming doors.
Hardy said the accuser then asked him, 'Do you want to see crazy? I'll show you crazy.'
Hardy said she threw herself into the bathtub, causing the bruises she had on her body. Hardy said she also threatened to kill herself if she left his building.
However, Thorn-Tin seemed more inclined to believe the testimony of the accuser and the prosecution's top witness, Christina Lawrence, another woman who was in Hardy's apartment at the time of the incident.
Lawrence said she was sleeping in the other room with a friend of Hardy's when she heard scuffling and fighting and what sounded like a woman being slammed into the wall and dragged across the floor. She said she also heard the accuser say, 'What are you going to do, break my arm?'
Hardy and his accuser began dating last September, but had broken up at the Pro Bowl in February. Hardy said they had had sexual relations 'five or six times' since.
Hardy's play on the field has been dynamic. He's been a key member of Carolina's second-ranked defense, finishing last season with 15 sacks. The Panthers led the league last season with 50 sacks.
In four seasons with the Panthers, Hardy has 33 sacks, 26 in the last two seasons. He signed a $13.1 million, one-year contract in March as the team's franchise player.
It's unclear at this point how the verdict will affect Hardy's long-term future with the Panthers.
The team is particularly sensitive to domestic violence issues, particularly in light of their history with wide receiver Rae Carruth. Carruth was found guilty of conspiring to murder his girlfriend, Cherica Adams, who was carrying his child. He was sentenced to 18 to 24 years in prison and remains in jail.
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Sean PendergastSupport the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free.
Despite the fact that it guarantees them a one-year salary that is the average of the top five salaries at their position, generally speaking, NFL players do not like to get hit with the 'franchise tag' when they reach free agency.
More often than not, the franchise tag is a placeholder for the two sides, team and player, to work out a long-term deal, but if the two sides don't reach a long-term agreement, then the player plays the one year under the franchise tag salary for his position, and must wait at least one more season for a long-term deal and the guaranteed big bonus money that comes with it.
Carolina defensive end Greg Hardy is one of those players, designated the franchise player for the Panthers. Somehow, I don't think the latest news involving Hardy (who's been in the news before) is going to get the Panthers to the bargaining table any quicker.
Because domestic assault is probably not the best way to go about getting a multi-year extension done:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- From a Carolina Panthers jersey to a jail jumpsuit, defensive end Greg Hardy spent Tuesday night behind bars, accused of assaulting his girlfriend.
Eyewitness News first confirmed and reported his arrest Tuesday. WSOC-TV first reported the arrest on Twitter. WSOC-TV Twitter page Hardy has been charged with assault on a female and communicating threats. He is expected in court on Wednesday for his first appearance in court.
His arrest comes one day before a Men for Change breakfast sponsored by Safe Alliance, Inc. at Bank of America Stadium. The event raises awareness about domestic violence.
It was scheduled before Hardy's arrest.
Hardy got into a fight with his 24-year-old girlfriend at an uptown apartment on North Tryon Street across from the Belk Theater around 4:20 a.m. Tuesday, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police report.
Police haven't said what the fight was about, but according to a report Hardy's girlfriend, whose name was not included, suffered scratches and bruises but she didn't go to the hospital.
It also said the two had been in a relationship since last September.
'We are very disappointed to learn of the allegations involving Greg and are concerned for all parties as we continue to investigate,' a spokesperson for the Panthers said in a statement.
Mike Sexton works with the Mecklenburg County Women's Commission.
Greg Hardy Crime
He said he has worked with victims from high-profile relationships and this latest case of alleged abuse proves domestic violence doesn't discriminate.
'It sends a message that anybody and everybody can go down this road,' Sexton said.
Hardy, nicknamed 'The Kraken,' was drafted by Carolina in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft and played his college ball at Ole Miss.
Hardy signed a franchise tag tender with the Carolina Panthers in March. He will make $13.1 million next season if he doesn't sign a long-term extension before July 15
During this past week, the big stories post-draft have centered around Rams defensive end Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in league history, and the reaction to his kissing his boyfriend upon hearing the news of the Rams' selecting him in the seventh round. Dolphins lineman Don Jones (who nobody knew outside of Miami before Sunday) was fined and suspended from team activities for tweeting 'OMG' and 'horrible' after viewing Sam's kiss.
Jones's reaction and punishment were on the front page of many of the big sports sites throughout the day on Monday.
Meanwhile, Hardy's crime is nestled snugly on the NFL subpage, in between stories of Joe Haden's new deal and Andre Johnson's uncertainty about his future with the Texans. So if you're keeping score at home, player tweets a couple of unenlightened (albeit honest) words, and that's front-page news; player assaults girlfriend, buried amidst contract news, business as usual.
That's fairly messed up.
Thankfully, I'm here to keep track of the real crime. Your revised standings...
2014 FANTASY CRIME LEAGUE STANDINGS 1 point .. misdemeanor 3 points .. felony 10 points .. murder
49ERS .. 8 * 3/28/14: 49ers CB Chris Culliver is charged with felony hit and run, misdemeanor reckless driving, and felony possession of brass knuckles. * 4/13/14: 49ers DE Aldon Smith is charged with MISDEMEANOR false report of a bomb threat.
COLTS .. 3 * 3/16/14: Colts owner Jim Irsay is arrested for DUI and possession of a controlled substance (felony)
RAVENS .. 3 * 2/14/14: Ravens RB Ray Rice is charged with third degree assault. * 2/21/14: Ravens WR Deonte Thompson is arrested for suspicion of possession of marijuana. * 3/9/14: Raves OL Jah Reid is arrested on two counts of battery.
BILLS .. 3 * 5/7/14: Bills DT Marcell Dareus is arrested for felony possession of synthetic marijuana
FALCONS .. 1 * 2/18/14: Falcons WR Roddy White is arrested for failing to appear in court.
TITANS .. 1 * 3/20/14: Titans DE Adewale Ojomo is arrested for solicitation of prostitution.
BENGALS .. 1 * 3/31/14: Bengals FB Orson Charles is charged with wanton endangerment.
RAMS .. 1 * 3/29/14: Rams CB Greg Reid is arrested for violating probation.
BEARS .. 1 * 4/21/14: Bears WR Josh Morgan is arrested for simple assault.
PANTHERS .. 1 * 5/13/14: Panthers DE Greg Hardy is arrested for misdemeanor domestic assault.
Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SeanCablinasian.
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