BOSTON (CBS) -- One of the more annoying trends in this era of social media is the rush for many voices to condemn a person or an act when a situation is so plain to see. When an athlete gets in trouble for assault, for example, Twitter immediately gets flooded with comments stating the obvious: assault is bad.
Whether it's a desire to get a pat on the back for doing something as simple as saying violent crimes against women are bad, or whether it's just a natural compulsion to say something in the midst of a bad situation, it's become quite common and frankly a bit hackneyed.
Yet there are times when it's worth it to delve into just how bad a bad man can be, and that's currently the case with Greg Hardy.
The Cowboys defensive end will come off his suspension this Sunday to face the Patriots, and he's made national headlines this week for his comments about Tom Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen.
While Hardy, who was found guilty by a North Carolina judge last July for assaulting a female and "communicating threats," should probably make better decisions than to comment about opponents' wives and their sisters, the actual comment itself wasn't overly outrageous. Brady is married to a supermodel, and so folks often mention it. Hardy probably shouldn't, but he did.
(Hardy eventually avoided criminal charges because the North Carolina system afforded him the right to appeal the ruling to a jury trial. By the time that jury trial was set to place, Hardy's accuser did not show up for court. The district attorney believed the two parties had reached a settlement outside of court.)
Some have made a big deal out of the comments about Bundchen, but really, it was what Hardy said -- or didn't say -- when asked about lessons he's learned as a human being over the past calendar year that were actually repulsive.
Instead of addressing the issue, Hardy turned his media scrum into a stand-up comedy routine.
Hardy was asked this week what he has learned as a man. His answer?
"That you should probably eat before you go to practice with Tyron Smith," Hardy joked.
Hardy was asked if the past year has been the most difficult period of his life.
"This has been the most awesome period of my life, man," Hardy said. "I'm a Dallas Cowboy. Dream come true."
The most awesome period of my life.
Hardy was asked, ridiculously, if he feels that he has been considered guilty and has had to prove his innocence.
"For getting sacks?" he joked.
The sports reporter -- aka the man who writes about touchdowns and tackles and has zero desire or qualification to ask a man about his violent history -- clarified, saying, "For what has led to you to miss these games."
"I've been on the field lately," Hardy quipped. "In the last two seasons, man, it's honestly, it's been a blur, just getting ready to come back. And now that I'm back, I don't reminisce. I don't look back, other than to know that I need to get to forward."
It's just repulsive, and if this instance doesn't lead to you questioning your allegiance to this league or even sports in general, then nothing will.
Compare those comments to the words spoken by Hardy's ex-girlfriend. The woman claimed that Hardy threw her into a bathtub, dragged her by the hair through an apartment, choked her, and then lifted her above his head before throwing her onto a couch, which was covered in "assault rifles and/or shotguns."
"He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me," she testified. "I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said just, 'Do it. Kill me.'"
It's safe to say that she isn't referring to the last 15 months as "the most awesome period" of her life. But that's none of Hardy's concern.
Look, Greg Hardy is a bad person. You don't need me or anyone else to tell you that. But as is often the case these days, a silly diversion can often dominate the news cycle. And so when Hardy takes the field Sunday and somebody at the bar or in the living room talks about the Gisele comments, you can at least know that there's much more to Greg Hardy than the words he spoke about a supermodel.
He's a man who was found guilty by a judge of assaulting and threatening a woman, received a mere slap on the wrist from the justice system and the NFL, and knows he got away with it. Rather than even feign a shred of decency, he'd rather make jokes. It's exactly what you'd expect from a man who just experienced the most awesome period of his life. A dream come true, indeed.
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here. You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
Forget The Gisele Comments -- Greg Hardy Joking About The Past Year Is The Real Problem
/ CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- One of the more annoying trends in this era of social media is the rush for many voices to condemn a person or an act when a situation is so plain to see. When an athlete gets in trouble for assault, for example, Twitter immediately gets flooded with comments stating the obvious: assault is bad.
Whether it's a desire to get a pat on the back for doing something as simple as saying violent crimes against women are bad, or whether it's just a natural compulsion to say something in the midst of a bad situation, it's become quite common and frankly a bit hackneyed.
Yet there are times when it's worth it to delve into just how bad a bad man can be, and that's currently the case with Greg Hardy.
The Cowboys defensive end will come off his suspension this Sunday to face the Patriots, and he's made national headlines this week for his comments about Tom Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen.
While Hardy, who was found guilty by a North Carolina judge last July for assaulting a female and "communicating threats," should probably make better decisions than to comment about opponents' wives and their sisters, the actual comment itself wasn't overly outrageous. Brady is married to a supermodel, and so folks often mention it. Hardy probably shouldn't, but he did.
(Hardy eventually avoided criminal charges because the North Carolina system afforded him the right to appeal the ruling to a jury trial. By the time that jury trial was set to place, Hardy's accuser did not show up for court. The district attorney believed the two parties had reached a settlement outside of court.)
Some have made a big deal out of the comments about Bundchen, but really, it was what Hardy said -- or didn't say -- when asked about lessons he's learned as a human being over the past calendar year that were actually repulsive.
Instead of addressing the issue, Hardy turned his media scrum into a stand-up comedy routine.
Hardy was asked this week what he has learned as a man. His answer?
"That you should probably eat before you go to practice with Tyron Smith," Hardy joked.
Hardy was asked if the past year has been the most difficult period of his life.
"This has been the most awesome period of my life, man," Hardy said. "I'm a Dallas Cowboy. Dream come true."
The most awesome period of my life.
Hardy was asked, ridiculously, if he feels that he has been considered guilty and has had to prove his innocence.
"For getting sacks?" he joked.
The sports reporter -- aka the man who writes about touchdowns and tackles and has zero desire or qualification to ask a man about his violent history -- clarified, saying, "For what has led to you to miss these games."
"I've been on the field lately," Hardy quipped. "In the last two seasons, man, it's honestly, it's been a blur, just getting ready to come back. And now that I'm back, I don't reminisce. I don't look back, other than to know that I need to get to forward."
It's just repulsive, and if this instance doesn't lead to you questioning your allegiance to this league or even sports in general, then nothing will.
Compare those comments to the words spoken by Hardy's ex-girlfriend. The woman claimed that Hardy threw her into a bathtub, dragged her by the hair through an apartment, choked her, and then lifted her above his head before throwing her onto a couch, which was covered in "assault rifles and/or shotguns."
"He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me," she testified. "I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said just, 'Do it. Kill me.'"
It's safe to say that she isn't referring to the last 15 months as "the most awesome period" of her life. But that's none of Hardy's concern.
Look, Greg Hardy is a bad person. You don't need me or anyone else to tell you that. But as is often the case these days, a silly diversion can often dominate the news cycle. And so when Hardy takes the field Sunday and somebody at the bar or in the living room talks about the Gisele comments, you can at least know that there's much more to Greg Hardy than the words he spoke about a supermodel.
He's a man who was found guilty by a judge of assaulting and threatening a woman, received a mere slap on the wrist from the justice system and the NFL, and knows he got away with it. Rather than even feign a shred of decency, he'd rather make jokes. It's exactly what you'd expect from a man who just experienced the most awesome period of his life. A dream come true, indeed.
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here. You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
In:- NFL
- Tom Brady
- New England Patriots
- Dallas Cowboys
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