CHARLOTTE, NC — “He’s an outstanding player, obviously, and it’s disappointing. But he’s got to, we have to get this right. He has to get this right,” Carolina Panthers’ General Manager Dave Gettleman laid out the mantra for Wednesday’s press conference.
The Panthers are putting star defensive end Greg Hardy on the bench, bowing to intense pressure to take a stand on the issue of domestic violence.
Hardy is taking a voluntary leave of absence, with pay. The announcement came after 24 hours of negotiation with the NFL, the Players Association and the Hardy camp. His conviction on domestic violence charges has been hanging over the Panthers, overshadowing the team’s 2-0 start.
“There’s no rule book for this guys,” said Gettleman. “Our overriding goal has always been to do the right thing.”
The Panthers have been taking heat for handling the Greg Hardy situation the wrong way. Letting him play in the first game, then deactivating him at the last minute last Sunday.
“We’re doing the best we can, under the circumstances that we have, and we’re trying to get this right,” said Panthers’ head coach Ron Rivera. “And at the end of the day we have to come up with solutions to make sure that this does not happen again.”
Coach Rivera met with Hardy and his agent for an hour and a half Wednesday, giving him what the team called “options”.
The Panthers say Hardy chose a voluntary leave of absence. Rivera told the team after practice.
“I explained what Greg decided to do. I explained to them the reasons why he decided to do it,” said Rivera. “And the biggest thing was Greg wanted to try and take away the distraction.”
The Panthers released a statement from Greg Hardy saying: “I understand that I need to step away from football right now and take care of this legal matter.”
The Panthers will not have Greg Hardy on the field at Bank of America stadium Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, or for the foreseeable future. But they will be paying him, handsomely, more than $700,000 for each game that he misses.
“It doesn’t make sense for me, like, for him to just be able to leave and just be able to still be paid,” said Uptown Charlotte resident Drake Tola. “Doesn’t really make sense to me.”
“Money is always a big issue with everybody, so you know, it needs to hit him where it hurts,” said Huntersville resident Krissy Reams.
The Panthers say Hardy’s leave of absence will last until his legal issues are resolved.
His jury trial is scheduled of November 17th. In the meantime, he will be allowed in the team facilities, but cannot attend practice.
