Recently, defensive end Greg Hardy denied the domestic abuse charges against him during an interview with ESPN's Adam Schefter. But after the interview came out, Michelle Beadle of ESPN's SportsNation criticized the sports network for contributing to Hardy's publicity.
Hardy was a former player for the Dallas Cowboys. He was suspended last year after reports of him beating his ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder. According to Holder, in May of 2014, a verbal argument between her and Hardy escalated into physical abuse, the Huffington Post reported.
She alleged that the NFL player threw her against the wall of a shower and dragged her by her hair across his apartment. He then hurled her again on a couch which was covered by various weapons. Hardy then proceeded to choke her using his hands.
Hardy was initially found guilty of the assault charges but these were eventually dropped after Holder failed to appear in a court hearing to testify against him.
Almost two years after the incident, Schefter of ESPN interviewed Hardy regarding the controversy. And, despite the evidence against him, such as the photos of Holder's bruised body, Hardy denied assaulting his then-girlfriend.
"I've never put my hand on any woman," he told Schefter according to the Huffington Post. "In my whole entire life. No, sir. That's just how we're raised. As you can tell, like I said again, it's the Bible Belt."
"It's just something that's - I wouldn't event say frowned upon, just something that's non-existent in most southern homes," he added.
Schefter then later on admitted that after the interview, he saw Hardy in a different light, the Washington Post reported. He said that through the athlete's statements, he felt that Hardy has changed.
However, the interview and Schefter's admission did not sit well with Beadle of SportsNation. She believes the interview was a bit one-sided and should not have served as a way for Hardy's redemption.
"I feel dirty in that this guy has no job right now, and for some reason we've decided as a network that we're going to give him the stage for his redemption tour as he basically goes out and tries to find some employment," she said on SportsNation.
"I don't understand why we're doing that," she added. "If he wants to figure out a way to get his message out there - which by the way, he hasn't said he did anything wrong, so how a man is supposed to convince anybody he's changed and yet not admit to actually doing anything?"
