CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera has all but given up on the idea of defensive end Greg Hardy being reinstated after the NFL's decision Tuesday to suspend Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson for the rest of the season.

"Probably,'' Rivera said Tuesday when asked if Hardy's return from the commissioner's exempt list now was a dead issue.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera doesn't think Greg Hardy will be reinstated this season after the NFL's decision on Adrian Peterson on Tuesday. AP Photo/Mike McCarn

Rivera said general manager Dave Gettleman was alerted to the league's decision on Peterson "and they're going to discuss and see where it goes.''

"Seeing what happened, obviously they're going to react to it and we'll go from there,'' Rivera said.

Hardy was placed on the exempt list before the Panthers' third game. The league said at the time the 2013 Pro Bowl selection would remain on the list until his domestic violence case was heard. Hardy's trial had been scheduled for Monday, but it was announced several weeks ago it would be postponed until sometime early in 2015 because of an overloaded court docket. That prompted Rivera to say his 2013 sacks leader should be allowed to return.

Each time Rivera has been asked about the possibility of Hardy returning, he has said the league is busy with the Peterson case. Peterson was indicted in September on a felony charge of injury to a child using a wooden switch to discipline his 4-year-old son. He pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of misdemeanor reckless assault Nov. 4, then began seeking reinstatement from the exempt list. The league instead suspended Peterson for the remainder of the 2014 season without pay, saying he would not be considered for reinstatement before April 15, 2015, for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

That decision is why Rivera changed his optimism that Hardy might return. Asked if the Panthers would have any interest in bringing Hardy back after his domestic violence is resolved, he said, "We'll see. That's all a part of the evaluation process. It's also of a part of dealing with the salary cap and all those other issues that come up with guys that are free agents.''

The Panthers gave Hardy the franchise tag this season, guaranteeing him $13.1 million. He continues to draw weekly checks of $770,000 while on the exempt list.

Asked if there was interest in bringing Hardy back beyond money, considering the extra attention surrounding domestic violence, Rivera said, "There is sensitivity to all these things that are going on right now.''

"These are societal issues,'' Rivera said. "These are all things we all have to be very mindful of, that we're doing things the right way, that we're doing things to present the right image, the right direction.

"People are looking at us in terms of the moral compass, so we've got to be smart about things we decide.''