Mount Rushmore of most hated figures in Carolina Panthers history
By Dean Jones
Greg Hardy – Former Carolina Panthers DE
Once considered one of the NFL’s premier defensive ends, Greg Hardy’s fall from grace was astonishing. The Carolina Panthers looked to have one of their biggest-ever draft steals when they selected him in the sixth round and after flashing in a rotational role, the pass-rushing phenom came to life during the 2012 campaign.
For the next two seasons, Hardy was almost unstoppable. He amassed 26 sacks during this span and looked like the next great edge rusher set to take the league by storm thanks to his ruthless aggression and elite explosiveness.
Then, everything changed.
Hardy was arrested on domestic violence charges and sent packing by the Panthers after threatening to kill her during an altercation. A sad end to what looked like a potentially dominant career in Carolina.
Although Hardy didn’t get another shot in 2014, the Dallas Cowboys offered him a lifeline during the 2015 season. After 12 games that consisted of six sacks and 20 quarterback hits, he wasn’t brought back and was soon arrested on drug possession which became the final nail in his NFL coffin.
Hardy attempted to carve out a role for himself in the UFC. But he soon found out this isn’t much fun when people hit you back and fell flat on his face as a result.