The Carolina Panthers deactivated defensive end Greg Hardy for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, according to ESPN.
The team would not give a statement on why Hardy has been placed on the inactive list. Hardy awaits trial for domestic violence charges, but as of last week, the team said they would wait for the legal process to finish before disciplining the player.
A judge found Hardy guilty of attacking and threatening his ex-girlfriend, but Hardy appealed the decision.
Panthers owner Jerry Richardson on Wednesday defended the way he has handled Hardy’s case and his stance on domestic violence.
“And when it comes to domestic violence, my stance is not one of indifference. I stand firmly against domestic violence, plain and simple,” he said, according to CBS. “To those who would suggest that we’ve been too slow to act, I ask that you consider not to be too quick to judge.”
The Panthers’ decision to deactivate Hardy comes just after the Baltimore Ravens cut Ray Rice after the video of him knocking out his then-fiancee surfaced last week.
Hardy will get his $770,588 game-day paycheck for Sunday’s game.
