Dallas Cowboys defensive star Greg Hardy, under fire after the emergence of graphic photos showing injuries suffered by his battered former girlfriend, took to Twitter Saturday to express “regret.”
Hardy didn’t specifically mention the incident in which he was found guilty by a North Carolina judge of assaulting ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder last year.
Hardy appealed the verdict and the case was dismissed when Holder later failed to cooperate with prosecutors after reportedly reaching a settlement with her former partner.
The outcome effectively forced prosecutors to drop the case, leaving Hardy free to pursue his NFL career.
He missed most of the 2014 season for the Carolina Panthers but was signed by the Cowboys in March before being hit with a 10-game suspension by the NFL, later reduced to four.
The Cowboys’ signing of Hardy so soon after the domestic violence case stoked unease in some quarters, with the Texas side accused of turning a blind eye to the issue by welcoming the player back into the fold.
Those concerns were given fresh momentum on Friday when Deadspin published dozens of police photos showing bruises on Holder’s back, shoulders and arms following the incident in May 2014.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement issued late Friday that the team had not seen the photos before they decided to sign Hardy to a lucrative one-year contract.
Jones said the NFL giants were aware of the “serious nature” of the case against Hardy before they signed him yet had nevertheless decided to give the player a second chance.
“We as an organisation take this very seriously. We do not condone domestic violence,” Jones said.
Read the full story on Deadspin.com
