NBC's Bob Costas blames arbitrator, NFLPA for Greg Hardy mess

• published: 09 Nov 2015
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Greg Hardy's presence as a member of the Dallas Cowboys has been one of the most hotly debated topics in recent days after gruesome photos were released this week from an alleged domestic violence incident involving the defensive end. Hardy served a four-game suspension after an independent arbitrator cut the sentence from the 10 games handed down by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The Cowboys signed Hardy to a one-year contract and earlier this week owner Jerry Jones said the defensive end is one of the Cowboys' leaders. Prior to Sunday night's Eagles vs. Cowboys game on NBC, Bob Costas gave his thoughts on Hardy's situation, saying that Goodell should avoid criticism for how the league handled Hardy's suspension and rather it was the arbitrator that deserves the blame. MORE: Cowboys coach Jason Garrett calls Greg Hardy 'A positive influence' "Greg Hardy is a bad guy who is a good football player," Costas said on NBC's Football Night in America, prior to the game. "Over the past couple of years, commissioner Roger Goodell has received a good deal of criticism, some of it fair, some not. But after initially faltering in the Ray Rice case, Goodell vowed to get it right going forward. And in the Hardy case, he definitely tried to make good on that promise. As part of its own investigation, the league gained access to the photos the public has just now seen. And Goodell suspended Hardy for 10 games at the start of the season — still not enough for some but a significant step up from past punishments in domestic violence cases. "The players association appealed on Hardy's behalf, arguing, in part, that since Hardy's offense occurred before the personal conduct policy was strengthened, his discipline should be based on the previous guidelines, and arbitrator Harold Henderson, citing those precedents, reduced the penalty to four games. That's on Henderson and the players association. They saw the pictures. They knew the severity of the offense and they fought for a reduction nonetheless. "Once Henderson ruled, under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, that was that. There was nothing else that the commissioner can do, unless and until there is a next time with Greg Hardy. PLUS: Malcolm Jenkins explains who started 2014 tussle with Dez Bryant "So, you can shake your head at the perceived flaws of the judicial system. You can fault the Cowboys for signing Hardy in the first place and Jerry Jones for calling him one of the real leaders of his team. You can root for Hardy to fail and for the rest of the league to show little interest in him if he becomes a free agent after this season. "But here's what you can't do this time: You can't blame Roger Goodell. And you can't deny this cold truth about big-time sports. No matter what kind of guy he is, if the guy can play, there will always be a market somewhere for his services." Meanwhile, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio says that the league was simply acting on behalf of one of its members, by going to bat for Hardy. "Their role is to separate the conduct from the collective bargaining agreement. They have a duty under federal law to pursue the appeal. So, they don't condone domestic violence," Florio said. "But they have to protect the rights of each and every player, including Greg Hardy in this case."