IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have given no thought to disciplining defensive end Greg Hardy for his sideline outbursts in Sunday's loss to the New York Giants, but they are hopeful of keeping him with the team beyond 2015.
"When
we initially signed, talked to him, asked him to join the team, it was
not only with the idea of the short term but a long-term purview," owner
and general manager Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. "He's,
relatively speaking, a young player, and he certainly has the kinds of
skills and impact that we want to look to the future with with the
Cowboys."
The Cowboys signed Hardy to a one-year deal last March that did not
include any guaranteed money, but could earn him up to $13.1 million
over a full season. Because he was suspended for four games, he will not
be able to fully cash in, but he earns $578,125 for every week he is on
the 53-man roster and has a chance to cash in on sack incentives. He
has three sacks in his two games.
Under the terms of the agreement with Hardy, the Cowboys cannot place the franchise or transition tag on him in the offseason.
Executive vice president Stephen Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Monday that an extension with Hardy is "very much a possibility."
As for Hardy's sideline incident with special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, Jones said his thoughts today are no different than after Sunday's game, when the owner said Hardy was a leader and that he encouraged that kind of passion.
Because
of chances taken by Jones on past players with serious off-field
issues, the owner and general manager has been called an enabler. Those
charges have been ramped up since Sunday.
"I would say they said
that when I signed [Hardy], so you begin right there," Jones said
Tuesday. "I really do understand completely their perspective, and they
know I don't need to say it again, [but] that in no way is anybody
anything but against any type of domestic violence.
"We won't get
into that. That's not the point. We're talking about the sidelines, but
you're going to go and take me on over to that aspect of it. The most
comments I got on enabling was when we signed him. 'They're enabling. It
looks like you're basically condoning domestic violence,' which is not
the case."
Hardy missed the first four games while suspended under
the NFL's personal conduct policy. He was convicted last year of
assault on a female and communicating threats in a case involving a
former girlfriend. But the charges were dismissed in February after
prosecutors said the accuser in the case couldn't be found.
After
signing with Dallas, Hardy was suspended for 10 games by the NFL for
conduct detrimental to the league, a penalty that was later reduced to
four games.
