Greg Hardy: 5 interesting things you need to know about the UFC Heavyweight

#2 Greg Hardy was arrested on domestic violence charges

Greg Hardy's photograph with his ex-girlfriend

In a turn of events that would eventually bring an end to his NFL career, Greg Hardy was arrested on charges of assaulting and verbally threatening an ex-girlfriend. Hardy was initially sentenced to 18 months’ probation, and suspended 60 days of prison time. But when Hardy appealed the decision and requested a jury trial, the victim party failed to appear in court.

The prosecutor’s office eventually dropped the charges on account of failing to locate the victim. Several sources reported that a mutual settlement had been reached by both the parties off-court. Despite its low-key conclusion, the trial drew extensive media attention and seemed to have opened up a can of worms for other domestic violence-related cases within the NFL.

Carolina Panthers put him on the exempt list, meaning he was eligible to draw a salary but not allowed to take part in any team activities. He did not play another match for them after this.

Greg Hardy joined Dallas Cowboys as a free agent in March 2015 but was suspended next month as NFL’s own probe into Hardy’s charges brought forward credible evidence that he had engaged in actions that violated the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. Greg Hardy was laid off for 10 games, which was then brought down to four, post-legal negotiations.

Police photograph evidence of the victim’s bruise marks and injuries were made public by media in November 2015 a day after his charges were expunged from his record.