Add Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings to the list of people who are not thrilled that the Cowboys signed Greg hardy to a one-year deal.
On Thursday, Rawlings spoke critically of the Cowboys’ decision to sign Hardy, who a North Carolina judge found guilty of “assaulting and threatening to kill” his ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder (that verdict was set aside and the charges were eventually dropped after Holder received a financial settlement from Hardy and refused to cooperate with the prosecution).
“I’m a big Cowboys fan. I love them to death and I want them to beat the Eagles every time they play. But at some point, being a sports fan gets trumped by being a father, husband, wanting to do what’s right for women, so this is not a good thing. I don’t think I’m going to be buying Hardy jerseys any time soon.”
Rawlings even called the Cowboys after he learned of the signing to voice his concerns with the team. The team reportedly assured Rawlings that they had done their due diligence and done a thorough background check of Hardy.
While Rawlings characterized the signing “a shot in the gut,” he is hopeful that the attention paid to the issue of domestic violence will be helpful in the long run.
“I think the attention on this issue is helping,” Rawlings said. “For too long, that line was really vague. It was a gray area. I think that line is getting very clear now. You never, never, never hit a woman. In this case common knowledge says he did. It’s unacceptable by me and he’s going to have to deal with the repercussions of that. I’m sorry that happened for the woman. I’m sorry that happened for him, but it did and we’ve got to deal with it going forward now.”
Rawlings stated that he will remain a Cowboys fan but that he doesn’t agree with the Cowboys’ decision to welcome Hardy onto the team. His unease over the signing is certainly understandable.
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