The decision made by National Football League vice president Harold Henderson reduced the suspension from 10 games.
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Though he was not allowed to play, Hardy was still paid and the time off did not count as a suspension, making him eligible for a suspension from the NFL.
Hardy, who played only one game for Carolina before being suspended last season, was accused of assaulting Holder in May 2014, sending her to the hospital emergency room. In March the Cowboys signed Hardy to a one-year deal. Hardy is really the centerpiece of what the Cowboys hope will be a vastly improved pass rush. The soon-to-be 27-year old has been on the commissioner’s exempt list since previous year, missing 15-games as a member of the Carolina Panthers in 2014.
“The egregious conduct exhibited here (by Hardy) is indefensible in the NFL“, Henderson wrote in a statement released by the league. Henderson then went on to say he believed ten games was “simply too much” in his view and modified the suspension to four games, adding that all other terms were to remain in place.
Hardy will be permitted to take part in training camp and preseason games. The NFL detailed the accusations against Hardy and said there was “sufficient credible evidence” that he violated league policies when the suspension was levied.
Hardy, who signed with the Cowboys this offseason, was originally suspended 10 games due to an arrest on domestic-abuse charges.
Meanwhile, the NFL Players Association supported Hardy in his appeal, saying that the league should not have retroactively employed the rule to the ex- Mississippi standout.
The charges were later dropped when the victim in the case, Hardy’s ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder, failed to appear.
With the reduced ban, Hardy’s debut for the Cowboys will be against Super Bowl champion New England on October 11. “The specific name of that policy is the NFL Personal Conduct Policy”.
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Greg Hardy indicated earlier he plans to pursue legal intervention for any suspension above 2 games (which was the max penalty at the time he committed the offense), but fatigue and compromise may win out and Hardy may accept the 6-game reduction. The suspension will begin September 5.
