Mr. Scot

Would be...except they're not. The entire defense doesn't rise or fall on the presence of Greg Hardy. Not per Bill Voth. Voth said they tagged him as a one year rental. They never intended to sign him to a long term deal (too much risk).

I'd say this does. That's an aerial view of the line of people waiting to return their Ray Rice jerseys. Guessing the OP forgot about that part.

Some other team throws a load of money at him.

Not happening. Never was, even without the court case.

It's irrelevant to the Panthers since he won't be playing here anymore.

It's not happening. Enjoy watching him play elsewhere next year.

I love how dramatic people are getting about watching their team lose games. Let's see: Adrian Peterson's kid was beaten till he bled. Ray Rice's wife was knocked out and dragged by the man who's supposed to protect her. And of course there's the other victims of domestic violence, rape, etc. whose lives are changed forever, a lot of it with the whole world watching and even some people saying they deserved it, faked it, whatever. And of course there's Rae Carruth's kid and the life he leads. But hey, all of that's small potatoes. I had to watch my team lose a game THAT I PAID TO SEE!!! Wow. What a terrible thing for someone to have to endure I'm amazed at the courage you guys have shown in the face of this adversity. Stay strong. You're an example to all of us

Reminds me of two things I really wish more fans would catch on to. Number One: The decision on this isn't being made by Jerry Richardson. It's being made by Dave Gettleman. Jerry Richardson's role is simply tacit approval / non-interference. As I've said many times, anyone who wants to question that should take a moment and answer what color jersey Steve Smith is wearing these days. Number Two: It isn't an image decision. It's a business decision. Here's a challenge. Go to a bookie and bet ten thousand dollars of your own money that Greg Hardy will stay completely out of trouble for the next five years. Don't have ten thousand to bet? Put up your car, or your house, or something else of value. You comfortable with that? Well, the Panthers would be wagering a whole lot more than ten thousand on that bet if they offer Hardy a big contract. And please don't give me the "he'll play for less" argument. He reportedly turned down a more than fair 8 million per year contract before he was franchised. It's delusional to think he'll actually play for cheap given his past actions. And let's be clear: Ron Rivera wants him back. He's made it plain in many things he's said, but it's not his decision. Given Rivera's track record when it comes to personnel decisions, that's probably a good thing.

Hardy's very good. i don't know that I'd go with 'elite' though. J J Watt is elite. Hardy's not on that level. But here's the thing: People in this thread are assuming that the defense will automatically not be as good without Hardy. That's not actually the case. It's still a team sport, and just because you're less talented at one of eleven positions doesn't automatically mean the unit as a whole is worse. You have to look at the big picture.

They've got a whole offseason to figure that out.

I'm guessing the Colts also somehow faked the video of the Patriots employee taking the balls somewhere where he wasn't supposed to. Pretty diabolical plan, huh?

Financial in the sense they don't want to find a significant portion of their money wasted...again. You throw a lot of money at a player, you want to be confident he's going to be reliable and trustworthy enough to actually earn that salary. I don't think the Panthers trust that Hardy can keep himself out of trouble.

You're clearly not beating your head against that wall hard enough.

Shame we cut Rae Carruth, huh? I mean, he could have helped us win games. That's all that really matters, right?

The OP's argument is based on the cases of Ray Rice, Michael Vick and others, not just Hardy.

We're not just talking about Hardy. Was Ray Rice's crime only 'alleged'?

Oh right. Why should a guy like Ray Rice suffer any consequences just because he smacked a b--ch around, right? I mean, this is football we're talking about

If you're okay with someone getting away with hitting or raping a woman or any other violent crime as long as they can win football games, you're not someone I have any interest in knowing. Football is not more important than people's real lives.

You'd be even dumber if you actually believed it

Yep. I'd say the question of whether or not he can be trusted to stay out of trouble and mischief once he's got a load of money in his bank account would weigh heavily into this discussion.

Beat me to it For those complaining, I'd say this has a lot more to do with Hardy's lack of judgment and his general attitude during his 'paid vacation' than it does his trial.

It's a really stupid theory being advanced by Patriots defenders, The Ravens noticed it in the game before as well but it didn't become a story till after the Colts game.

Dammit Shark! Okay, I'm takin' a break. The imagery in this thread is just...

From what I remember of him a few years back, I had nicknamed him "Free Shot".

Thanks for the image, Jangler (dammit)