Brennan: Greg Hardy remains unapologetic, yet will be cheered on Sunday

Christine Brennan | USA TODAY Sports

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Greg Hardy is a young man who has been known to tackle a quarterback or two, as well as his one-time girlfriend.

For the former, he has received the usual accolades. For the latter, he was kicked out of the NFL with pay for all but one game last season, then without pay for the first four games of this season.

Now he’s back, and he’s talking. Unlike Ray Rice, though, he isn’t apologizing for his acts of domestic violence. No, he’s telling jokes that he thinks are funny. He’s talking about Tom Brady’s wife. And other wives. And he’s calling his time away from the game “the most awesome period of my life, man. I’m a Dallas Cowboy. Dream come true.”

If there’s one man in professional sports who should be contrite, it’s Hardy. Clearly, he doesn’t have it in him.

In July 2014, Hardy was found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder, and threatening to kill her. He appealed the judge’s ruling and asked for a jury trial. In February, prosecutors in North Carolina said charges would be dropped when Holder, who was paid a settlement by Hardy, could not be found.

It’s important to recall the details of exactly what Hardy did to Holder because, unlike Rice, he was not caught on videotape. Hardy threw Holder onto a futon covered with at least four semiautomatic rifles and three other guns, dragged her by her hair from room to room, shoved her against a wall and put his hands around her neck, applying enough pressure to leave visible marks.

Hardy, 27, had not spoken publicly about this, or anything else, since signing with the Cowboys in March. So when reporters showed up at his locker Tuesday, every word was a revelation.

Asked if he intended to speak out against domestic violence or work with a local shelter, Hardy replied, “I feel the best way to win a game is stick to the game plan,” then carried on about football strategy, refusing to answer the question.

But he didn’t mind talking about Tom Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen. Hardy said he is excited that his return to the game happens to come the week the Cowboys play the New England Patriots.

“I love seeing Tom Brady, he’s cool as crap,” Hardy said. “Have you seen his wife? I hope she comes to the game. I hope her sister comes to the game, all her friends come to the game. One of my favorite games of the year, guys.”

There was a follow-up question by local reporter Mike Fisher that mentioned that the significant other of Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles perhaps was attractive as well. (I actually remember the days when sports writers asked questions about games and strategy, not the physical appearance of players’ wives and girlfriends.)

“Is she?” Hardy asked. “This kind of information is important. That’s how I select my Pro Bowls.”

Asked what he would say to those who feel he should not be on the team because he was found guilty by a judge of domestic violence, Hardy replied, “God bless you. That’s the message.”

What he learned most about himself through the ordeal, Hardy said, was that he’s a “really good pass rusher when I put my mind to it.” His central concerns now, he said, are winning and getting sacks, adding that, “I’m really good at that.”

And when asked if it might take some time to get back to the level of play he’s accustomed to, Hardy said he hoped to “come out guns blazing.”

Isn’t that a lovely choice of words, considering what he did to Holder?

This is as good a time as any to mention that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell actually gave Hardy a 10-game suspension for this season, but Hardy and the NFL Players Association fought Goodell and eventually were able to get the suspension reduced to four games. Perhaps the thinking was that Hardy had learned his lesson.

Ten games sounds pretty good now, doesn’t it? Or, how about the rest of his career?

This unrepentant and immature behavior by Hardy in his debut with the Dallas media reflects terribly not only on him, but also on the Cowboys, the NFLPA, the NFL and everyone else who is supposed to be monitoring and guiding Hardy. Is there no one who is counseling him? Little over a year since the Rice elevator video, what kind of leadership is this?

I’d like to close by giving Hardy an example of what an apology actually looks and sounds like.

“Domestic violence is real,” Rice told ESPN’s Jemele Hill in an interview over the summer. “It happens every 12 seconds as we speak. I made a life-long commitment to my wife and to my daughter, to the survivors of domestic violence, to go out there and not only help but share my story so that men can make better decisions. That was the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life.

“To the survivors of domestic violence, I understand how real it is, and I don’t want to ever take that for granted because this is a real issue in our society. My video put the light out there. If you have never seen what domestic violence looks like and you look at my video, I could understand why some people would never forgive me.”

Remind me again why Rice is considered persona non grata in the NFL, while Hardy will be welcomed back with open arms on Sunday.

Follow Christine Brennan on Twitter @cbrennansports