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Cowboys' CEO sticks by Hardy signing: 'You have to take chances'

Joe Robbins / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Dallas Cowboys invited scrutiny when they signed defensive end Greg Hardy in March 2015, but CEO Stephen Jones views him as a calculated risk gone awry.

Hardy was the subject of a domestic violence case and was not retained by the Carolina Panthers as a result. The Cowboys signed Hardy shortly thereafter, prompting outrage from fans and advocacy groups alike.

Although the Cowboys did not re-sign Hardy at the end of the 2015 season, Jones isn't fretting the decision to take on the troubled pass-rusher.

"We've taken risks," Jones said to The MMQB's Albert Breer. "It was a huge risk to take (Charles) Haley back (in the '90s). Haley was a cancer on the Niners, and that's why they gave him to us for next to nothing. Dez (Bryant) was a risk. Dez was a top-five pick that fell because he was a risk. And in the end, you win on some, you lose on some. That's a little piece of how you succeed in business. You have to take chances."

Hardy recorded 35 tackles, six sacks, and an interception in 12 games, but also caused rifts in the locker room during his lone season with the club.

The Cowboys have seldom been afraid to take chances on players with some red flags, but this may be one they regret in spite of Jones' remarks.

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