10 Things You Didn’t Know About Greg Hardy
Greg Hardy was an American football player and sports personality who was born in Millington, Tennessee, on July 28, 1988. Although he has enjoyed a successful career as a sportsman, he has also gained media attention for his controversial personal life and this has damaged his image in the public eye. While he has made the headlines on many occasions, for both good reasons and bad, there are probably many things that you do not know about this sportsman. Here are ten interesting facts about Greg Hardy.
1. He Showed Sporting Talent as a Student
Greg Hardy was talented in sports from a very young age. By the time he attended Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, he was a three-sport letterman. His sports were football, basketball, and track. His main sport was football and he played in an offensive tackle position for both his school and a team called Ole Miss. When he went to college, he was one of the most promising players for the 2009 NFL Draft. However, he decided to return to Ole Miss for a senior season.
2. He Could Have Become a Track & Field Athlete
Hardy was also talented in various track and field events and had the potential to pursue a career in this area of sports. As a sophomore, he ran the 200-meter dash in just 24.04 seconds. Shot put was another sport in which he showed promise and he had a top throw of 14.47 meters.
3. He Broke His Foot at College
Hardy’s fledgling career as a football player almost came to a premature end while he was still at college. He broke his foot and required surgery to fix the damage. Although his injury caused his draft stock to fall significantly, he was able to recover and return to his previous form.
4. His First Pro Team Was the Carolina Panthers
The first team for which Hardy played as a pro was the Carolina Panthers. He signed the contract to play for them on June 17, 2010. In his first year, he played in 15 games, although he had not started any of them. Due to problems in his personal life, the Carolina Panthers decided not to renew his contract in 2015.
5. He Was Charged with Assaulting an Ex-Girlfriend
In March 2014, Hardy was arrested after it was alleged he had attacked and strangled his ex-girlfriend. He was convicted of these charges in July of the same year and received a sentence of 18 months probation. However, the charges were later dropped following the failure of Hardy’s ex-girlfriend to turn up in court to testify.
6. He Signed as a Free Agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015
In 2015, he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. As Hardy’s assault conviction was still fresh in the minds of the public, the decision of the Dallas Cowboys to sign him was met with some controversy.
7. He Missed His First Four Games with the Dallas Cowboys
As a result of his assault charge, the NFL suspended Greg Hardy for ten games and this meant that when he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys, he was unable to play in the games. However, the NFL later reduced this suspension to four games to avoid legal action from Greg Hardy.
8. He Decided to Become a Martial Artist Without Prior Experience
As it seemed his football career was coming to an end and he was out of favor with the public following the assault conviction, Greg Hardy decided it was time to change his career path. He chose to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. This may seem a strange career choice as it was a field in which he had no prior experience. However, he undertook several months of intensive training to launch his new career at an amateur level.
9. He Had a Successful Start to His Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Career
Greg Hardy had a surprisingly successful start to his career in mixed martial arts, despite not having any prior experience. He made his amateur debut in November 2017 in a match against Joe Hawkins, who he defeated in a match lasting just 32 seconds.
10. He is Launched His Pro MMA Career in 2018
Following the success of his amateur career in MMA, Hardy launched a career as a professional in this field and he announced his intention to turn pro in April 2018.
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