USA Today columnist Christine Brennan didn't hold back on Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, who will return from a four-game suspension Sunday against the New England Patriots.
Hardy, who was originally suspended by the NFL for 10 games for a 2013 domestic violence incident involving his ex-girlfriend, met with reporters Wednesday and made comments about Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's wife Gisele Bundchen and told a reporter that he was planning to "come out guns blazing" Sunday.
Brennen said she wished Hardy showed more compassion, like former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice did in an interview earlier this year with ESPN. Rice was released by the Ravens last season after a videotape surfaced of him striking his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City, N.J., casino elevator.
"Perhaps the thinking was that Hardy had learned his lesson," Brennan wrote. "Ten games sounds pretty good now, doesn't it? Or, how about the rest of his career?
"This unrepentant and immature behavior by Hardy in his debut with the Dallas media reflects terribly not only on him, but also on the Cowboys, the NFLPA, the NFL and everyone else who is supposed to be monitoring and guiding Hardy. Is there no one who is counseling him? A little over a year since the [Ray] Rice elevator video, what kind of leadership is this?
"Remind me again why Rice is considered persona non grata in the NFL while Hardy will be welcomed back with open arms on Sunday."
He said it
Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times doesn't believe there will be a level playing field like UCLA Coach Jim Mora wants.
Mora is upset that the Bruins have to play two Thursday night games in a row, beginning at Stanford on Oct. 15 and at home Oct. 22 against California. The coach calls it a "real injustice for our young men."
"Mora has a legitimate point about what television and money are making our kids do on school nights," Dufresne wrote. "Part of the Pac-12 Conference's $3 billion deal with ESPN and Fox allows the networks to dictate and regulate programming. And it seems the network executives actually want to make back some of their investment -- the nerve of these guys.
"It is no surprise that every hardship seems to fall on the players. UCLA linebacker Myles Jack decided to declare for the NFL Draft. Mora disagreed with the decision, calling it 'a risky one.'
"Yet, everything a college player does is a risk. Was it fair that Jack has his knee blown out during a weekday practice?
"What Mora also didn't mention: Through-the-roof television money has led to coaches' doubling, tripling and quadrupling their salaries.
"Would he and other Pac-12 coaches be willing to take less money to play in more academic friendly time slots?
"If it's justice you want, Jim Mora, you're probably in the wrong profession."
They said it
• From Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times: "[Philadelphia] Eagles running back DeMarco Murray -- who's rushed for 47 yards on 29 carries this season -- says he's not getting the ball enough. True, that: At his current rate of 1.6 per [carry], Murray would need 62 carries for a 100-yard game and seven just to get a first down."
• Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press, after Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton claimed referee Ed Hochuli told him Newton "isn't old enough" to get a roughing call: "He's still young enough to tattle."
• New York Giants kicker Josh Brown, to The New York Times, on why the NFL scrapped extra-point kicks from the 2: "Who's going to watch that? That's when everyone got up and went to the bathroom."
SPORTS QUIZ
UCLA Coach Jim Mora was a head coach for two NFL teams. Name them.
ANSWER
The Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks
Sports on 10/08/2015