Many sports fans and pundits have been disgusted by Dana White’s willingness to give Greg Hardy a second shot in professional sports despite his domestic violence past.
Hardy was found guilty in 2014 of assaulting his girlfriend, though the charges were later dropped after the victim did not show up for court. The NFL suspended him 10 games, which was later reduced to four. The allegations and photos shared by his ex-girlfriend tell a disturbing story and contributed to his NFL career ending. Hardy was also arrested in late 2016 for cocaine possession and has not played in the NFL since 2015.
On Tuesday, White gave Hardy a developmental contract with the UFC after the former NFL defensive lineman won his first professional fight since taking up an MMA career.
So how does White reconcile Hardy’s past with his current pursuits?
“What I respect about the guy is he did something really bad and horrible. He went through everything you need to go though after you do something disgusting like that. Then he hit rock bottom, picked himself back up, started to work his way up to become not only a better human being but a better athlete,” White told TMZ Sports about Hardy.
“Everything that I see in the guy … he’s changed.”
What White calls “changed” others would consider looking the other way.
In 2014, White was quoted as saying, “We’ve been human beings in letting these guys, other guys make up for what they’ve done and come back. There’s one thing that you never bounce back from and that’s putting your hands on a woman. Been that way in the UFC since we started here. You don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman.”
His position certainly seems to have changed.
