When can we stop being told to accept that not every athlete is a model citizen?

By Kyle Mann
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Sometimes in football, you’ll hear somebody say, “Oh, this guy is a monster on the field, but a total teddy bear off it,” and maybe it’s true. But I’m beginning to think some of the players we see on television are the teddy bear versions of real-life monsters.

It’s become commonplace to accept that there is a certain degree of aggression that comes with most professional football players, especially when the nature of the sport is to run around and bash your armor-clad self into other people. However, at what point can we start deeming certain guys to be too aggressive and no longer welcome on the television?

If you caught any of the Giant-Cowboy game on Sunday, America’s “Game of the Week,” there’s a good chance you caught a glimpse of some Grade-A Greg Hardy action.

Maybe you remember Hardy from over the summer — he was accused of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend in his apartment.

Nicole Holder contended that Hardy hit her, threw her into a bathtub, and also onto a futon riddled with guns, and threatened to kill her. After being found guilty in a bench trial, the case was dropped when Holder mysteriously decided she didn’t want to cooperate anymore, allowing Hardy to avoid any jail time.

So pardon me while I make some observations.

Hardy did what he was accused of, and nobody can even play the “he was found innocent” card, because he was explicitly found to be the opposite of innocent. The only reason he’s not in jail right now is because he, or his legal team, likely got to Holder with an out-of-court settlement.

In the aftermath, Hardy did all he could to assure us that he was the victim of false accusations and even claimed that he was not a violent person. Almost to America’s credit, nobody really bought it — except the Dallas Cowboys.

Of course, the Cowboys were there to swoop in on an undeniably talented player and hit the jackpot when his 10-game suspension was controversially reduced to  mere four. In his short time as a Cowboy, Hardy has done nothing but continue to be a bad guy.

“Didn’t the Twin Towers get blown up, LOL?” Hardy said on Twitter in May, as one example. He also made questionable comments about rival Tom Brady’s wife in the week leading up to the Cowboy-Patriot game. And now Hardy has given us another glimpse into what Jerry Jones, apparently, loves about Hardy’s leadership skills.

In the middle of a game, mind you, Hardy physically smacked a coaches’ clipboard out of his hands, had to be escorted away from the huddle, and proceeded to exchange heated words with other players, including Cowboy star Dez Bryant.

It was a weird scene to watch unfold. Spectators had to have been wondering, “Wow, that grown man is getting physical with his coaches and having a temper tantrum on the sidelines with his own teammates.”

Good thing he’s not a violent guy.

In fact, he’s actually just a really inspirational guy. At least that’s what Cowboy owner Jones would tell you.

“He’s, of course, one of the real leaders on this team,” Jones told reporters after the game with the Giants. “That’s the kind of thing that inspires a football team.”

And therein lies the problem. So long as Hardy remains one of the best defensive ends in the league, there will be some team so desperate to win (and make money) that it will pretend there’s a place for smacking-clipboards-out-of-coach’s-hands guy.

It’s about time we stop accepting that there are bad people in sports. Grown men who hit women, hoard guns, and make 9/11 jokes are now being called “real leaders” after they throw childish tantrums on national television. It’s a lie, and I’m sick of it.