Love Or Hate: The Dallas Cowboys Signing Greg Hardy

The Dallas Cowboys radically improved their defensive line on Wednesday when they signed free agent pass rusher Greg Hardy to a smartly-constructed one-year deal. But the signing of the controversial player has been meet with some fan backlash.

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As a proactive move in the face of a potential public relations nightmare, Cowboys’ owner and general manager Jerry Jones released the following statement addressing the recent signing of Hardy to the team via DallasCowboys.com.

"“This agreement involved an important element of our defensive scheme, specifically the pass rush, at a position that we felt we needed to address this off season. We entered this free agency period with the idea of utilizing key resources to help us on the defensive side of the ball.“Greg is a proven and experienced player whose production has allowed him to play at a Pro Bowl level. This is a one-year agreement that is incentive based and heavily weighted toward his participation in games.“We have spent a great deal of time over the last two days in meeting with Greg directly and gaining a solid understanding of what he is all about as a person and as a football player. A thorough background review of him, involving many elements of our organization, has been ongoing for the last few weeks.“Obviously a great deal of our study was dedicated to the issue of domestic violence, and the recent events that associated Greg with that issue. We know that Greg’s status remains under review by the National Football League.“Our organization understands the very serious nature of domestic violence in our society and in our league. We know that Greg has a firm understanding of those issues as well.”"

Back in May, Hardy was arrested and charged with assaulting and threatening to kill his then ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder. Two months later, a judge found him guilty and sentenced him to 18 months probation after suspending a 60-day jail sentence.

But that decision was appealed and all the charges were eventually dropped last month when Holder refused to cooperate with the district attorney after she apparently received a financial settlement from Hardy.

Still, the sixth-year veteran is currently on the NFL commissioners’ exempt list, suspending Hardy from playing until the league’s own investigation into the incident has been concluded. Experts speculate he is likely facing a two-to-six game suspension when the regular season starts in September.

The Cowboys knew these facts before signing Hardy and factored them in to his one-year contract.

Hardy’s base salary is a mere $750,000. He gets a workout bonus of $1.3116 million. And if Hardy performs well during the season, as in getting a certain number of sacks, he then can earn an extra $1.804 million in incentives. That’s an extremely team-friendly deal for one of the premier pass rushers in the league.

But Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com explained the real genius of the Cowboys’ contract in a recent article. And it has to do with the bulk of his contract, a $9.25 million 53-man roster bonus.

"“The Cowboys have not guaranteed Hardy any money. He will have to earn it as he goes. The per-game roster bonuses are worth roughly $578,125 per game. Should he miss a game for a suspension, the Cowboys, in effect, will receive a cap credit for each game he misses if he is suspended or is on injured reserve.”"

You read that right. If the NFL suspends Hardy for any part of the upcoming regular season, he loses money. If he’s placed on Injured Reserve, he loses money. Dallas has put the onus on Hardy to earn his money every step of the way this season.

Financially, America’s Team has protected themselves as much as they can. And that is a credit to Dallas’ front office, as they were somehow able to get his unusual deal done.

But the questions surrounding Hardy were never about his talent. They were about his morality.

And for some, there is understandably a zero tolerance stance when it comes to acts of domestic violence. Especially when it involves a 6-4, 275 pound professional football player.

Hardy’s accolades on-the-field do not erase his sins off it. And there is certainly a double-standard when it comes to second chances in the NFL. It seems the more talented you are, the more chances you get. Especially when you record 26.0 sacks in two seasons.

Bottom line: There are reasons to love the signing of Greg Hardy in Dallas. And there are also reasons to hate it. Now that the deal is done, the only question is: Which side are you on?

Submit your answer in the poll below and feel free to explain your choice in our comment section.

Next: Beyond Sacks, Greg Hardy Is A Quarterback Terror

The Landry Hat is committed to giving a fan’s take on all things Dallas Cowboys. And we believe it’s our staff’s unique and varied perspectives that makes us different than any other sports site on the internet. With that being said, getting our readers’ perspective on various Cowboys-related topics is essential for us to be successful.

Therefore, we’ll often use poll questions to gauge how our readers feel about a specific topic. Their answers not only influence our articles, but they also keep us in touch with what our fans actually think and feel about their beloved team. So please considering giving your answer in the above poll and participate in the conversation below in our comment section. Thanks!

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