Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones claims that Greg Hardy was innocent of domestic violence accusations, in which he was charged with assaulting and threatening his former girlfriend, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
In a profile by HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," Jones suggests that the Cowboys defensive end wasn't convicted of any crime because he likely didn't do it. Hardy was originally convicted by a judged for assaulting his former girlfriend but he would exercise his right to appeal the conviction under North Carolina law, according to ESPN. Hardy would eventually be cleared of all charges after the victim failed to show up in court for the appeal.
"We really did our homework and our investigations," Jones said to journalist Bernard Goldberg, via Pro Football Talk. "And the facts are he was not convicted." Goldberg responded by saying that the reason Hardy wasn't convicted was because his former girlfriend didn't show up in court. Jones response to that was, "But he might not have been convicted because he didn't do it."
Hardy was originally suspended 10 games by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, but arbitrator Harold Henderson reduced his suspension to four games. Hardy has since stated that he will not fight the suspensions and will serve his four-game suspension.
Hardy is expected to return against the New England Patriots on Oct. 11. The Cowboys will be likely looking forward to his impact on the defensive line, as he recorded 15 sacks his last full season with the Carolina Panthers.
