Greg Hardy has seldom helped himself by talking this year.
But at least he didn’t make things worse when asked about his coming game against his former team.
Via Todd Archer of ESPN.com, Hardy wasn’t biting on questions about Thursday’s game against the Panthers, when asked after the Cowboys beat the Dolphins.
“Just a nameless, faceless opponent,” Hardy said. “Next game. Got to stay focused.”
Asked if he had friends there, he replied: “Which team?”
Asked how he kept it that way, he replied: “Just stay in the game with my teammates. Got a great bunch of guys. And focus on the next game.”
The Panthers drafted Hardy in 2010, and eventually paid him $13.1 million as their franchise player in 2014. Of course, they only got one game for that money, after he was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list following his arrest on domestic violence charges.
He has 4.5 sacks in six games with the Cowboys, since coming off a four-game suspension.
While he might want to keep it low-key, he also has to know he’ll be the focal point of a Thanksgiving day game, and not fueling the fire now might be the smartest thing he’s done in months.