Suit for Hardy evidence on hold
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ahearing scheduled for Tuesday to determine whether the NFL is entitled to evidence from the July 15 domestic violence trial of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy has been put on hold in an attempt to settle the matter out of court.
The NFL filed suit last week against the state of North Carolina and district attorney Andrew Murray seeking photos of injuries to Nicole Holder, guns in Hardy's Charlotte apartment and other evidence in the trial in which a Mecklenburg County judge found the former Carolina Panthersstar guilty of assaulting and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend in May.
"The hearing was postponed so that we could discuss an amicable resolution of our request for documents," said Charlotte attorney Monroe Whitesides, Jr., who filed the complaint on behalf of the NFL.
Whitesides did not indicate when that resolution might occur.
Hardy's July verdict was set aside under North Carolina law when the player asked for a jury trial. That trial, scheduled for February 9, never occurred. Charges against Hardy were dropped because, according to Murray, Holder refused to cooperate in the investigation after receiving a financial settlement from Hardy.
The NFL then opened its own investigation into whether Hardy, who last week signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys, should be suspended for violating the league's personal conduct code.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday at the close of the NFL owner's meetings in Phoenix that a ruling was expected soon.
"We are trying to get as many facts as we possibly can to make the most informed decision we can so that we can uphold standards that we put forward in our personal conduct policy," Goodell said. "So I expect that that will conclude sometime in the near future and we'll make a decision shortly after."
Hardy remains on the commissioner's exempt list, where he has been since the week prior to Carolina's third game in 2014. The Panthers paid Hardy, who was given the franchise tag, $13.1 million last season to play in only one game.
The Panthers opted not to pursue Hardy when he became an unrestricted free agent on March 10. Team owner Jerry Richardson told ESPN.com at the owner's meetings that that was his decision.
"We do the right things," Richardson said.
Dallas signed Hardy to an $11.3 million deal that was structured in a way that the 2013 Pro Bowl selection will not get paid $578,125 for each game missed in 2015. He could be suspended for up to six or more games under the conduct policy.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said at the owners meetings that the organization was comfortable with its decision.
"We spent a lot of time doing our due diligence on who he is as a person," he said. "We brought him in and spent a couple days with him, so we felt like understanding who he is as a person was a critical piece to this, evaluating who he is a player was a critical piece to it, the structure of the contract was critical to it.
"At the end of the day, if we didn't believe he could become the right kind of guy for our football team, we wouldn't have signed him."
