Panthers' Charles Johnson to Greg Hardy: 'Stay humble ... accept what you did'
Free-agent defensive end Greg Hardy may have done more harm than good in his much-publicized interview with ESPN's Adam Schefter, during which he referred to himself as an "innocent man" and denied ever striking a woman.
While Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson would like to see Hardy get a second chance, he also thinks his former teammate needs to be more humble about his past.
"He's a good guy," Johnson told David Newton of ESPN. "He just makes bad decisions. I just hope he gets out there and finds a place so he can really prove his talent and show what he's really all about instead of giving interviews to people about the situation.
"He should just move on and throw that all the way back, move forward and take it day by day. Don't do interviews."
Hardy's interview with Schefter marked the first time he had spoken publicly about his domestic violence case, which was dismissed in February 2015 after prosecutors said they were unable to locate accuser Nicole Holder to testify. It's believed Hardy reached a civil settlement with Holder.
Despite photographic evidence showing bruises on Holder's back, arms, legs, and feet, Johnson said he believed Hardy when he told Schefter, "I've never put my hand on any woman."
"That's my friend," Johnson said. "I ain't got no other choice but to believe him. Whatever he's telling me, I'm going to believe that because I've got no other choice.
"But at the same time, you was involved in the incident. So you have to man up to all the situations that you was involved in. So instead of criticizing all the stuff, just man up to all the situation and move on. Face the facts. This was something three years ago, so why are we still talking about it?"
As for his advice for Hardy, Johnson said it's best for him to "just stay as low as possible" and hope another chance comes along.
"Stay humble," Johnson said. "... Don't add on to the fire. Be humble about it. Accept what you did. Accept the situation and move on and get back to where you want to be instead of keep revisiting what happened."