When the Cowboys signed Greg Hardy last month, they didn’t know what, if anything, the league would do to him under the Personal Conduct Policy. The Cowboys now know.
Hardy has been suspended 10 games by the NFL for actions committed against Nicole Holder in 2014.
“In a letter from Commissioner Roger Goodell, Hardy was informed that an extensive two-month NFL investigation following the dismissal of his case in North Carolina state court determined that there was sufficient credible evidence that Hardy engaged in conduct that violated NFL policies in multiple respects and with aggravating circumstances,” the NFL said in a press release.
“The NFL’s investigation concluded that Hardy violated the Personal Conduct Policy by using physical force against Nicole Holder in at least four instances,” the release explains. “First, he used physical force against her which caused her to land in a bathtub. Second, he used physical force against her which caused her to land on a futon that was covered with at least four semi-automatic rifles. Third, he used physical force against her by placing his hands around Ms. Holder’s neck and applying enough pressure to leave visible marks. And fourth, he used physical force to shove Ms. Holder against a wall in his apartment’s entry hallway.”
“The net effect of these acts was that Ms. Holder was severely traumatized and sustained a range of injuries, including bruises and scratches on her neck, shoulders, upper chest, back, arms and feet,” Commissioner Goodell wrote in the letter communicating Hardy’s suspensions. “The use of physical force under the circumstances present here, against a woman substantially smaller than you and in the presence of powerful, military-style assault weapons, constitutes a significant act of violence in violation of the Personal Conduct Policy.”
The NFL also found that Hardy failed to provide “complete and accurate information” to the league in conjunction with the investigation. The investigation included photographs of injuries to Nicole Holder.
The suspension will begin on September 5, after the offseason program, training camp, and the preseason. He’ll be eligible to return after the 10th game of the season. If he serves all 10 games, Hardy’s first appearance with the Cowboys will happen on Thanksgiving, against the Panthers.