Goodell believes in due process, but...

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

Would be a little screwed up if Rice is back on the football field before Hardy is. 

 

Honestly, that's probably pretty likely.

[cbarrier90]

Hardy would be better off to plead guilty and serve the six games.

 

Greg wouldn't. The Panthers would.

 

In this climate, if he were to plead guilty to domestic abuse he might be lucky to get a quarter of what he was projected to earn, but if he's found innocent, he can clear his name and get much closer to his market value.

 

Also, in this scenario, the Panthers are still paying him. Not so if he serves those six games.

[Semaj]

I know it wasn't the Panthers idea. It still made them look foolish for allowing it to happen. Goodell should be fired for not suspending Ray Rice and hiding the video of him in the elevator. Only when there's a massive public outcry does he do anything productive about anything. He's a total reactionary commissioner, not a leader. He should be gone. The Rice situation, Hardy, Peterson...all botched. Peterson hasn't even had a day in court yet and he's on the sideline. What happened until "innocent until proven guilty". Big different than what happened with Hardy...which is why I said he should have just been issued the standard 6 game suspension and be done with it.

Goodell is the owners puppet. Nothing more and nothing less. That's why Jerry and his buddies love him and will protect him.

[Panthers8969]

Quick, someone accuse A.J. Green of domestic abuse.

Eh he's injured anyways. Someone get their wife to accuse Julio jones of raping them. He's on my ff team, but panthers come first

[Frizzy350]

Hardy had to agree to go on the commissioners "exempt" list.  The Panthers could have advised him not to, and to fight to get the standard 6 game suspension so he could play later in the year.  It would have satisfied the leagues punishment policy for his guilty verdict and shut everyone up in the media.  

 

Would have caused a huge backlash by the NFLPA.  Everyone wants these stories to die down, the media has a short attention span.  If the NFLPA gets involved it would only escalate these issues.  You'd have a whole lot of angry players, angry sponsors and angry fans.  That would be catastrophic.

[Sasquatch]

Hardy was found guilty by a judge and is appealing his ruling.  He was found guilty, so it's not like his case has yet to be heard and it's merely an accusation.  Albeit, the guilty ruling was a bit suspicious based on what I've heard from the testimony.  

 

Since Hardy is appealing he might still end up found innocent.  I always thought he should serve a 6 game suspension (new amount set by the league for crimes like this) for being found guilty and be able to return afterward.  If he's found innocent at his jury trial, great.  If he's found guilty again, he already served his suspension.  I think putting him on an indefinite paid leave was a ridiculous knee-jerk reaction and it made the Panthers look foolish.

 

You're obviously not from NC.

[PandaPancake]

You're obviously not from NC.

That's the state where the guy did it no matter the evidence that says otherwise?

[mbarbour21]

13 mil to sit at the house? Yeah.....that'll show him.....

[Sasquatch]

That's the state where the guy did it no matter the evidence that says otherwise?

 

 

Folks outside NC do not understand the system for misdemeanors in NC.

 

"District Court also conducts preliminary hearings to determine if there is enough evidence or probable cause to bind a defendant over to the grand jury for indictment to stand trial in Superior Court. "

 

http://www.nccourts.org/Citizens/GoToCourt/?topic=3

 

That's what the media is calling the "bench trial". The judge that presided over Hardy's hearing is up for re-election next month (wanted publicity) and is also chair person for a Battered Women advocacy group. 

 

If Hardy had been charged with a felony, this never would have gone through the "bench trial" unless he waived his jury trial. As a misdemeanor, he didn't have a choice..

[PandaPancake]

Folks outside NC do not understand the system for misdemeanors in NC.

"District Court also conducts preliminary hearings to determine if there is enough evidence or probable cause to bind a defendant over to the grand jury for indictment to stand trial in Superior Court. "

http://www.nccourts.org/Citizens/GoToCourt/?topic=3

That's what the media is calling the "bench trial". The judge that presided over Hardy's hearing is up for re-election next month (wanted publicity) and is also chair person for a Battered Women advocacy group.

If Hardy had been charged with a felony, this never would have gone through the "bench trial" unless he waived his jury trial. As a misdemeanor, he didn't have a choice..

That trial was a joke. And she's running unopposed

[AKPantherFan]

By time he does the 6 games u bring him back because the media idiots have calmed down and the public outrage has subsided.

Plus it will also mean Hardy has served his "time" and the organization to.

No one will be able to argue that.

Time to get back to football.

[MHS831]

For the most part, Everyone criticizing Goodell has the huge benefit of hindsight.

 

I think Ray Rice is a huge punk---I used to get drunk a lot and never punched a woman. No excuse.

 

Having said that, Rice is right--he was punished, then the media uproar, then he was punished again.  There was no "new evidence", in my opinion.  There was nothing in the tape that anyone didn't already imagine. Now we are hearing that Goodell could have indeed had the tape-or access to it--all along.  If he is lying, then he is tarnishing the shield more than any player could. He needs to be fired.

[UpstatePanther]

I have a feeling Hardy will sit out six games to show that "justice" has been done in his case and then come back in week 8. at that point, no one can really make any big deal about him playing because he will have served the same consequence the league would have leveled against him if he is found guilty by a jury. i hope thats what happens. the defense needs him back.

 

 

[Mr. Scot]

For the most part, Everyone criticizing Goodell has the huge benefit of hindsight.

I think Ray Rice is a huge punk---I used to get drunk a lot and never punched a woman. No excuse.

Having said that, Rice is right--he was punished, then the media uproar, then he was punished again. There was no "new evidence", in my opinion. There was nothing in the tape that anyone didn't already imagine. Now we are hearing that Goodell could have indeed had the tape-or access to it--all along. If he is lying, then he is tarnishing the shield more than any player could. He needs to be fired.

Can't completely agree.

It was pretty obvious from the first tape that something quite violent had happened. A penalty of only two games in light of that was a complete joke.

The tragedy is that it took the second tape to get the NFL going. That's Goodell's biggest screw up, and it's the reason why we are where we are now.

I do agree that if he, or anyone in the NFL, actually did see the tape and they're lying to save face now, he needs to step down.