The Sports Xchange

The NFL Players Association announced Thursday that Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy will not appeal his four-game suspension.

“While I am terribly disappointed to miss the first four games of this season, I am absolutely determined that my issue is not going to be a distraction for the Cowboys,” Hardy said in a statement released by the NFLPA.

“I have enormous affection and respect for everyone here, and having seen the impact a court case can have on an NFL organization, I believe it is in the team’s best interest for me to announce that I will not pursue any further litigation.

“Everything I do from this point on will be designed to bring glory and pride to my family, their family and this team.”

Hardy originally was suspended for 10 games by the NFL for multiple violations of its personal conduct policy resulting from an incident with girlfriend Nicole Holder in the spring of 2014 while he was with the Carolina Panthers.

Hardy was found guilty by a judge of assault and making death threats against Holder. However, he appealed the ruling, and the charges against Hardy were dismissed after Holder refused to cooperate with the district attorney’s office. In July, his NFL-imposed ban was reduced to four games by an arbitrator.

Hardy played in only one game last season for the Panthers after he was placed on commissioner Roger Goodell’s exempt list. In March, Hardy signed a one-year contract worth up to $13.2 million with the Cowboys.