Jason Witten admits he ‘went too far’ with public support of Greg Hardy

Jason Witten has been criticized for what some felt was a hypocritical take this week about the Washington Redskins claiming Reuben Foster off waivers, and the former tight end has tried to clarify his stance.

During the second half of “Monday Night Football” between the Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles, the topic of domestic violence came up among the ESPN broadcast crew. Witten said he has a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence and ripped the Redskins for using “horrendous judgment” in claiming Foster.

Witten’s take rubbed people the wrong way because it wasn’t all that long ago that he publicly supported the Dallas Cowboys’ decision to sign Greg Hardy, who had also faced disturbing allegations of domestic violence. Witten praised Hardy for being a hard worker and good teammate, and he admitted on Wednesday that he regretted the way he handled the situation.

Thanks for your opinion, Robert. Privately, I let my opinion be known and agreed to disagree. That day after practice I chose not to be divisive. Prob went too far. On Monday with platform and no longer member of a team,I spoke my mind. Would love your support w/
SCORE Foundation https://t.co/0ipiGwX1Hi

— Jason Witten (@JasonWitten) December 5, 2018

As Robert Littal of Black Sports Online put it, Witten was being a company man by not speaking out against the Cowboys signing Hardy. He apparently told the team privately that he did not agree with the move, but the public remarks were the only ones that resonated.

Witten’s family was affected by domestic violence when he was growing up, and his charity has focused its efforts on curbing domestic violence and working with victims.

The first season in the booth has not been all that easy for Witten, as this is not the first time he has been crushed for something he said during the broadcast.