Cowboys Fans

After spending the last 24 hours making every excuse possible for Greg Hardy’s violent sideline outburst in which he nearly fought special teams coach Rich Bisaccia, the Dallas Cowboys have made their decision on how they’ll discipline their out-of-control defender who’s suspended for 19 of his past 21 games.
They’re going to do absolutely nothing.
“We addressed how he can [handle his emotions] better,” coach Jason Garrett said, insisting that Hardy’s apparent rage issues are something that the outside world focuses on too much. (Like the court that found him guilty for assault last year, I suppose.)

But we all know Garrett is dangling from marionette strings and that any decision not to discipline Hardy almost certainly came from the top. Therefore it’s no surprise Hardy didn’t even get a slap on the wrist for slapping at the wrist of a coach. Jerry Jones couldn’t wait to defend his big acquisition after the game on Sunday:

“He’s just getting guys ready to play in my view. I don’t have any issue with him being involved in motivating or pushing in any part of the football team, because he plays and walks the walk. […]

Since everything comes from the top in Dallas, the rest of the team toed the party line too, including the man who had the most to be upset about.

“Well, no, he wanted to get in there and kind of get after some of the guys a little bit, maybe get them fired up,” Bisaccia, the aggrieved special teams coach, said. “It was just not the right time. It’s really not an issue. I just had to communicate what we were going to do next on the return, so I just really wanted him to move on so we could get going.”
Just some bad timing. That’s all.
The comments of safety Danny McCray summed up most of the Cowboys’ public feelings pretty well (at least those who went on record).

“He’s such a passionate player, he’s just all over the place. I know when he came he pushed me a little bit, and I just didn’t realize who it was. I was like, ‘Who is this?’ Once you realize it’s Greg, it’s, ‘We need to make a play.’ We understand it was our fault to give up that lead. He was just showing us the passion.”

Passion, passion, passion. That’s all we’ve heard from the Cowboys in regards to Hardy over the past day — not about a man with a short, violent temper or someone possibly unfit to be on an NFL sideline anywhere. Just passion. So how did that passion work out? It must have turned around the game, inspiring the Cowboys to greater heights and a crucial NFC East win.
Nope. Hardy’s passion, the kind that’s so important it excuses shoving a superior, something that should get any athlete suspended for at least one week, did absolutely nothing. The Cowboys were down 27-20 when Hardy charged Bisaccia and would end up losing 27-20. Passion, even the nonsensical, excuse-making kind, isn’t everything.
Despite evidence to the contrary, Jerry Jones explained the importance of that passion on Sunday (per Lorenzo Reyes of USA TODAY Sports):

“[Hardy is] of course, one of the real leaders on this team and he earns it and he earns it with respect from all of his teammates. That’s the kind of thing that inspires a football team.”

First of all, leaders don’t snap. Leaders don’t fight. And I don’t care what canned soundbites there are in the locker room; nobody respects someone who doesn’t respect others. That laughable assertion aside, it’s just as ridiculous to call Hardy a leader because he’s only been there for two games! He’s played a total of eight quarters! He’s been on the field for 46 minutes and played just over 100 snaps. And he’s a leader of the team? No wonder Dallas is in last place.
But no one should be surprised Jones balked at punishing Hardy. Anybody who followed the 1990s Cowboys and their White House infamy knows how this team is run. There’s no accountability, no spine and no sense of justice. Maybe the Cowboys truly are America’s Team.