Greg Hardy got the first hurdle out of the way, with charges against him dropped in his domestic-violence case that cost him most of the 2014 NFL season.
But the Carolina Panthers defensive end — and free agent in a few weeks — is not in the clear yet. The NFL still could suspend Hardy for six games, per the league's new guidelines for domestic-violence discipline, even without a guilty verdict.
The league is trying to determine the facts of the case and figure out why the charges were dropped, which is why the NFL has filed a motion (according to Pro Football Talk) to remove the court-ordered blockage of the documents in the case so that it can read it and get more information. Some have speculated that Hardy's ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder, who was unable to be found by prosecutors, struck a deal not to testify against Hardy.
Hardy reportedly is trying to find a way to stay with the Panthers, who outwardly have not shown much interest in bringing him back after paying him $13.1 million last season to not play, and will do what he can to convince them he should.
And Hardy's teammates, it appears, are largely in favor of his return, according to Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review. But the man who needs convincing is Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, and it appears that Hardy's teammates' strong internal show of support to bring him back could be enough to allow Richardson to listen to them and to Hardy.
Is it still possible or likely that Hardy will move on as a free agent? Yes. But the chances of him coming back to Carolina might be a little bit higher now.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1FI7NpC
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