Greg Hardy

NFC South Notes: McCoy, Angerer, Hardy

September 18th, 2014 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow has missed a combined four tackles in the first two games of the season and while some have been critical of the Delaware product, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan refuses to put all of the blame on him, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Sure there is [room for him to play better]. But we don’t have anybody on defense at this point that is playing at a high level. I think they all would say that they want to play better than they’ve played. Some have played better than others, don’t get me wrong. But I think to a man, they want to play better.” More from the NFC South..

The season is underway, but the Buccaneers and Gerald McCoy are still discussing a contract extension, according to Jason La Canfora (on Twitter), who says that there’s a healthy dialogue going between the two sides. Buccaneers GM Jason Licht reached out to agent Ben Dogra in late May and, months later, a deal is still in the works. Our own Rory Parks wrote back in May that McCoy can reasonably expect an extension in the five-year, $55-60MM range.
Free agent linebacker Pat Angerer worked out for the Saints this week, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Angerer, a 2010 second-round pick, was cut by the Falcons in late August as a part of their first wave of cuts. Angerer racked up 226 tackles in his first two NFL seasons but has played more sparsely over the last two years, in part due to foot and knee injuries. He also worked out for the Jets recently.
For Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy to play in 2014, he’ll need his November 17th trial to go forward, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Hardy’s attorney was initially pushing to get the trial delayed until 2015, but he’ll now have to get his legal situation settled before he’s welcomed back on the field.

Panthers Place Greg Hardy On Exempt List

September 17th, 2014 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

3:27pm: Adam Schefter of ESPN.com and Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links) now each have a source saying that the decision has officially been made, with Hardy heading to the exempt/commissioner’s permission list. Like Peterson, Hardy will be on leave with pay until his legal proceedings have been resolved.

1:33pm: A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that Hardy has not yet agreed to be placed on the exempt list. I would guess that information is coming from the defensive end’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, so perhaps all the involved parties are still working something out.

1:25pm: Hardy has agreed to go on the exempt/commissioner’s permission list, reports Cole (via Twitter). According to Person (via Twitter), the Panthers and the NFL discussed several possible options for Hardy, but it appears they landed on the same solution that the Vikings did for Peterson. While there has been no official announcement yet on Hardy, he’ll likely remain on the exempt list until his legal process plays out.

9:39am: The Panthers took a cue from the Vikings last week, deactivating Greg Hardy for Sunday’s game after the Vikings did the same thing for Adrian Peterson. And now, it appears Carolina will follow Minnesota’s lead once again. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), the Panthers are meeting with Hardy this morning and are expected to soon put him on the same exempt/commissioner’s permission list on which Peterson was placed.

Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer confirms (via Twitter) that the Panthers are in discussions with the league about placing Hardy on that exempt list. Of course, it’s worth noting that Hardy himself would have to accept the decision. The NFLPA issued a statement this morning classifying Peterson’s move to the exempt list as the running back taking “voluntarily leave” to take care of his personal and legal issues.

There’s some incentive for all involved parties to opt for this route. From the player’s perspective, he’ll still receive his full salary while he’s on the exempt list, which is preferable to being suspended without pay. From the league’s and teams’ perspectives, it allows them to remove the player from the field and the public spotlight immediately, while postponing further discipline until after the legal process plays out.

Adrian Peterson Placed On Exempt List

September 17th, 2014 at 7:52am CST by Luke Adams

Late last night, Vikings ownership released a statement indicating that the team has changed course on its decision to activate running back Adrian Peterson for this weekend’s game against the Saints. Peterson, who is facing a charge of injuring a child, will be placed on the exempt/commissioner’s permission list until the legal process plays out, according to club owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf. Here’s their statement in full:

“This has been an ongoing and deliberate process since last Friday’s news. In conversations with the NFL over the last two days, the Vikings advised the League of the team’s decision to revisit the situation regarding Adrian Peterson. In response, the League informed the team of the option to place Adrian on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission list, which will require that Adrian remain away from all team activities while allowing him to take care of his personal situation until the legal proceedings are resolved. After giving the situation additional thought, we have decided this is the appropriate course of action for the organization and for Adrian.

“We are always focused on trying to make the right decision as an organization. We embrace our role – and the responsibilities that go with it – as a leader in the community, as a business partner and as an organization that can build bridges with our fans and positively impact this great region. We appreciate and value the input we have received from our fans, our partners and the community.

“While we were trying to make a balanced decision yesterday, after further reflection we have concluded that this resolution is best for the Vikings and for Adrian. We want to be clear: we have a strong stance regarding the protection and welfare of children, and we want to be sure we get this right. At the same time we want to express our support for Adrian and acknowledge his seven-plus years of outstanding commitment to this organization and this community. Adrian emphasized his desire to avoid further distraction to his teammates and coaches while focusing on his current situation; this resolution accomplishes these objectives as well.

“We will support Adrian during this legal and personal process, but we firmly believe and realize this is the right decision. We hope that all of our fans can respect the process that we have gone through to reach this final decision.”

With Peterson set to sit out until the legal process concludes, the longtime Viking figures to have more incentive to reach some sort of resolution in his case sooner rather than later, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, pointing out that Peterson’s status will give leverage to prosecutors. As Ben Goessling of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), currently, Peterson isn’t due in court for the first time until October 8, and there’s a possibility a trial wouldn’t happen until 2015, meaning the Pro Bowler could miss the entire season.

Although Peterson’s season appears to be in jeopardy, this is a decision he’s on board with, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com, who tweets that the NFLPA consulted with the running back about the move and Peterson decided to accept it rather than challenge it. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Vikings will still be paying Peterson during his time on the exempt list — he won’t earn an accrued season if he isn’t on the 53-man roster for six games, but that’s not as crucial at this stage of Peterson’s career as it would be for a younger player.

Now that the Vikings have made this drastic a move with Peterson, it could provide a road map for the Panthers as they decide how to handle their own situation with Greg Hardy. A Panthers source tells Werder (Twitter link) that Carolina now has “more to consider” as the club weighs what to do with Hardy.

Poll: Should Peterson, Hardy Play Week 3?

September 16th, 2014 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

After last week’s Ray Rice drama led to the Ravens cutting their running back and the league suspending him indefinitely, attention has shifted this week to a pair of other cases of off-field violence involving NFL players. Adrian Peterson, who was indicted and charged with injuring a child, and Greg Hardy, who was recently found guilty by a judge of assaulting and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, were both inactive in Week 2.

However, Peterson has since been reinstated by the Vikings, and it sounds like the Panthers are at least considering doing the same for Hardy. The NFL typically allows for due process, waiting until cases have fully played out before announcing disciplinary measures for players. In these cases, however, while the legal process hasn’t been completed, Peterson has admitted to causing injury to his son, while Hardy has been found guilty by a judge, if not yet a jury.

Given the increased pressure on the NFL to come down hard on off-field instances of domestic violence and abuse in the wake of the Rice incident, the league appears to be mulling intervening in the cases of both Peterson and Hardy. We heard as much regarding Hardy’s case earlier this morning, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report says the league is taking a long look at Peterson’s case as well.

The Peterson incident, which was publicly reported more recently than Hardy’s altercation, seems to be drawing more attention around the NFL and beyond, with Minnesota governor Mark Dayton suggesting today that the Vikings should have kept the running back suspended until the accusation of abuse is resolved in the legal system. Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com and others have also pointed out that the Vikings’ call for “due process” didn’t seem to apply to less talented players previously on the roster who ran into legal troubles of their own.

What do you think? Are you fine with seeing Peterson and Hardy on the field until their cases have been closed? Or do we already know enough in both instances that their teams – or the league – would be justified in keeping them out of action for Week 3 and beyond?

NFL Could Intervene In Greg Hardy Case

September 16th, 2014 at 10:07am CST by Luke Adams

“Due process” has been a popular phrase around the NFL lately, as teams and the league opt to wait for players’ legal cases to fully play out before deciding on the appropriate penalties. That’s why the Panthers elected to let Greg Hardy play in their Week 1 game against the Buccaneers, but after deactivating the defensive end in Week 2, Carolina has yet to make a final decision on how to proceed with Hardy, who was found guilty by a North Carolina judge of assaulting and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend.

“We’re going to have to look at things and look at what’s going on,” said head coach Ron Rivera, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “We’re going to have to get a feel for some things, and, as I said, [GM] Dave [Gettleman] and the guys upstairs are going to do their due diligence in terms of looking at what our options are.”

As the Panthers consider their options, the decision may ultimately be taken out of their hands. A league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the NFL may soon intervene in the Hardy case, electing to suspend him without pay for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

While Hardy was found guilty by a judge, the North Carolina criminal procedure allowed him to appeal that decision and receive a trial by jury, which is currently scheduled for November 17. Typically, the league and the team would wait until after that date to hand down an appropriate punishment for Hardy, but given the current climate following incidents involving Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, the NFL and the Panthers are under increased scrutiny — seeing Hardy active in this week’s prime time Sunday Night Football game may not sit well with many fans and viewers.

A Panthers source directly involved in the Hardy situation tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the club doesn’t know anything at this point about a potential suspension coming from the NFL.

NFC Notes: Abraham, Hardy, Lawson, Lions

September 15th, 2014 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

As we heard when John Abraham left the Cardinals last week, Arizona’s roster exemption means the veteran defender has five days to rejoin the team or else he won’t be eligible to play this season. So it makes sense that GM Steve Keim said this morning that the club expects a decision from Abraham within “the next 24 hours,” as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com details. If Abraham does decide to retire due to health problems, it may prompt the Cards to explore the free agent market, or perhaps promote a player from their practice squad, for pass-rushing help.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

While the Panthers are under scrutiny about how to handle defensive end Greg Hardy in the wake of his domestic violence incident, head coach Ron Rivera said today that the club hasn’t considered releasing him, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
The Lions may be sending yet another cornerback to the injured reserve list, according to head coach Jim Caldwell, who indicated to reporters that he wouldn’t expect Nevin Lawson to return this season (link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). Lawson, who suffered discloated toes in his left foot yesterday, could be replaced by an outside free agent or practice-squad player Mohammed Seisay, says Caldwell.
Caldwell also confirmed in his conversation with reporters, including Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link), that while he thinks Nate Freese is going to be a good NFL kicker, the Lions are considering all their options at kicker after some early-season misses by the rookie.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a look at some players whose contract values increased or decreased based on this weekend’s games. In Fitzgerald’s view, DeMarco Murray and Ryan Kerrigan were among the players whose stock improved, while Robert Griffin III‘s potential for a big contract extension was diminished by his latest injury.

NFC Notes: Hardy, Palmer, Abraham, Rams

September 14th, 2014 at 10:43am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers have deactivated defensive end Greg Hardy for today’s game, reports Ed Werder of ESPN (Twitter link). Hardy is embroiled in a domestic violence case, and given the response to the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson incidents, it appears as though Carolina decided to heed public sentiment and not allow Hardy to play. The move is a little surprising, as the Panthers had insisted all week that Hardy would be active. Meanwhile, it seems the 49ers will allow Ray McDonald, also accused of domestic assault, to play tonight. Here’s more from the NFC.

As he continues to recover from a shoulder injury, Carson Palmer will not play in today’s game against the Giants, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Backup Drew Stanton for the Cardinals. Stanton, 30, has not attempted a pass in four years, but as Robert Raiola notes (Twitter link), Stanton has earned $12.225MM since 2011.
John Abraham will not make a decision on retirement until the weekend is over, reports Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. The Cardinals currently have a roster exemption for Abraham; if he doesn’t return to the team by Tuesday, he will ineligible for the rest of the year.
The Rams have $32.5MM tied up in players on injured reserve, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. The Chiefs are second in that regard, at $12.7MM. In a separate piece, Fitzgerald looks at which teams have lost the most cap space to IR and dead money combined, a list that the Rams once again top.

Panthers Notes: Cason, Hardy, Alexander

September 13th, 2014 at 11:54am CST by Ben Levine

Panthers coach Ron Rivera has given cornerback Antoine Cason a number of second chances. It started when the talented defensive back was taken in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Chargers. Cason faced some early adversity, and Rivera, the team’s defensive coordinator at the time, was forced to make a tough decision.

“Quite honestly, I had to bench him,” Rivera told David Newton of ESPN.com.

Cason worked his way up the depth chart and ultimately started 15 games in 2010, Rivera’s last season in San Diego. The 28-year-old played in a backup role with the Cardinals last season, and Rivera inked him to a one-year deal this offseason.

Cason rewarded his coach’s faith. He finished with an interception and a team-high nine tackles in the team’s opening-day victory.

“When I watched tape on him from the [Tampa] game I saw things I really liked and remembered,” Rivera said. “Just the way he was playing with vision, the position he put himself in on a couple of his snaps.”

Cason will have his work cut out for him this weekend against Lions wideout Calvin Johnson.

“He’s definitely one of the best receivers in this league,” Cason said. “You bring your A game, play physical at the point of attack and get after it.

“That’s every time out for me, something to prove, something to prove. Never get comfortable and never get satisfied with where I am.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Charlotte…

Newton opines that the Panthers will not miss Steve Smith, even if the wideout continues to put up big numbers.
Newton also thinks that defensive end Greg Hardy will not return to the team if he is found guilty in his domestic violence case. Even if he’s cleared, Newton puts the odds of a return at 50-50. Room for Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly extensions would have to be taken into consideration, as well as Hardy’s expected monetary demands (the writer suggests $15MM).
With all the scrutiny surrounding Ray Rice, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the Panthers need to make a decision on Hardy. The writer ultimately believes that Rivera should deactivate the player for this weekend’s game and then study all of the information available.
Based on the reported changes to the league drug policy, defensive end Frank Alexander will not have his four-game suspension reduced, tweets Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer.

Extra Points: Giants, Patriots, Hardy, Rice

September 12th, 2014 at 8:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Steve Weatherford was out punting during the portion of Giants practice that was open to the media on Friday, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The veteran had suffered a high left ankle sprain during Big Blue’s 35-14 Monday Night season-opening loss in Detroit and said that he wanted to test things out on Friday. He’s still listed as questionable, but today’s session is probably a good sign.

Nonetheless, the Giants seem to be preparing a backup plan just in case Weatherford is unable to go on Sunday. Per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the team has worked out punters Zoltan Mesko, Brian Moorman, and Kasey Redfern.

The Patriots worked out defensive tackle Fred Evans this week, as well as a handful of offensive linemen, including Conor Boffeli, Caylin Hauptmann, and Martin Wallace, according to Yates (Twitter link).
Despite a rumor to the contrary, coach Ron Rivera says the Panthers plan to let the legal process play out with Greg Hardy and he will not be released before there’s a resolution in the courts, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
Roger Goodell made a serious error in how he handled the Ray Rice case, but Panthers owner Jerry Richardson still has time to get it right when it comes to Hardy, writes Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. For now the NFL and the Panthers are respecting the legal process, but they have the right to punish Hardy before things get underway in court, and Fowler thinks they should take advantage.
There’s a strong possibility that the NFLPA will file a grievance on behalf of Rice even without his approval, a source tells Jeff Zrebiec and Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
With Josh Gordon‘s suspension set to be reduced to 10 games, it could “open a can of worms” with others who tested positive in 2013 fighting for a revised suspension, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Abraham, Hardy, Polamalu, Rams

September 10th, 2014 at 10:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians told SiriusXM that reports of John Abraham suffering from memory loss was “news to him” and the issue wasn’t discussed during their recent conversation, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1 (on Twitter). Abraham, who has more career sacks than Lawrence Taylor and is ninth on the all-time sacks leaderboard, has left the Cardinals and may never play again. More from around the NFL..

Even though his alleged actions took place before the NFL put the new domestic violence discipline policy in place, Roger Goodell says Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy will be subject to the new policy, writes Will Brinson of CBSSports.com. The same applies to 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald.
Troy Polamalu and the Steelers have had a very productive relationship together and it almost didn’t happen, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes. In the offseason prior to the 2003 season, the Steelers had their sights set on Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson. When the Cardinals, of all teams, got to him first, the Steelers turned their attention to the draft and plucked Polamalu with the No. 16 pick.
While the Rams are equipped with talented backups like William Hayes and Eugene Sims, the loss of Chris Long means that they’re without their top leader, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Long was placed on the injured reserve with a designation to return earlier today.
Jets coach Rex Ryan said today that he took Calvin Pryor in this year’s draft over Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix because the Louisville product can “knock your face in.” Clinton-Dix, meanwhile, wants it to be known that he can bring the pain as well and plans to show it. “No doubt and you’re going to see it. Week in and week out, as I get my chance to come up and make those big hits, it will happen. That time will come,” the Green Bay rookie said, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky.

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