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Jones: Seriously? Bucs fans are talking about Greg Hardy?

Greg Hardy faced domestic chargers until they were dropped on Feb. 9 when his accuser, a former girlfriend, refused to cooperate with the district attorney's office. [AP photo]
Greg Hardy faced domestic chargers until they were dropped on Feb. 9 when his accuser, a former girlfriend, refused to cooperate with the district attorney's office. [AP photo]
Published March 15, 2015

It's stunning to me that some Bucs fans are advocating the team sign free agent defensive end Greg Hardy. Look, there's no question Hardy can play. He had 15 sacks in his last full season with the Panthers, 2013. And there's no question the Bucs could use an elite pass rusher. But you can't sell your soul to sign a bad seed like Hardy, who was convicted of domestic assault charges last summer but had them dropped Feb. 9 during an appeal because his accuser, a former girlfriend, refused to cooperate with the district attorney's office. What happened? The prosecutor told the appeals judge Hardy and the ex-girlfriend had reached a settlement to head off a civil suit. Sure seems like Hardy paid her off.

Look at some of the frightening details of the case: The accuser originally testified that Hardy threw her into the bathroom and later onto a chair filled with guns. She said he also put his hands on her throat and threatened to kill her. During testimony, she said, "He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me. I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said just, 'Do it. Kill me.' "

Hey, but who cares, some fans say. As long as the guy can sack a quarterback, who cares what he does to women? Ridiculous.