Yahoo Sports 
Jason Witten embracing Greg Hardy as new teammate
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten experienced domestic violence firsthand during his childhood and shared his story in a piece for ESPN’s E:60 last year. Just five months after that piece aired, the Cowboys signed defensive end Greg Hardy, who missed all but one game last season and will miss 10 games this season because of a domestic abuse incident.
The signing of Hardy was met with expected controversy, but Witten is doing his best to embrace him as a teammate.
“I think more than anything I think everybody knows [I’m against] domestic violence,” Witten said per ESPN.com. “That’s unwavering. That’s something that I lived, my family lived. But that guy is a teammate of mine, so I think you have to look at it from that standpoint. As coach [Jason] Garrett says, it’s our job to invite those guys in and create a standard of how we do things. I think he’s done a great job since he’s been here. It’s not my job to decide who comes in. I’m a tight end.”
Witten, whose SCORE Foundation provides assistance to victims of domestic violence, said he’s seen good things from Hardy, especially when observing his work ethic.
“I’ve been really pleased how he’s approached it and how he goes to work and what kind of teammate he’s been,” Witten said. “The day he got suspended, the next day he’s in there working out, so I think that’s kind of the mentality he has, what kind of work ethic (he has) and what he’s trying to prove in Dallas.”
A month after Hardy signed with Dallas, the NFL levied a 10-game suspension on the defensive end – a suspension Hardy is appealing. Hardy was initially found guilty on a domestic violence charge in North Carolina while he was a member of the Carolina Panthers, but the charges were later dismissed in February when the alleged victim did not make herself available for a jury trial.
Now that he’s joined the Cowboys, Hardy has impressed people in the organization with his approach.
“I think when you add the guy like that and then he gets suspended and you never know how it’s going to come out,” Witten said. “The guy works his tail off.”
Witten added that he thinks Hardy has “learned a lot” during his time away from the game.
“Our job is to welcome him and show him the way we do things and embrace him as a teammate, and he’s done everything that you want,” Witten said, per ESPN. “Obviously he’s a talented player. I think he’s learned a lot from what he’s gone through in the last year. He’s had a good offseason.”
In parts of five seasons for Carolina, the 6-foot-4, 275-pound Hardy recorded 204 total tackles and 34 sacks.
- - - - - - -
Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
