The Sports Xchange

Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach said he would have a hard time playing alongside Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy because of his domestic violence past.

Although he admires the way Cowboys executive vice president Charlotte Jones Anderson has taken a leadership role in the NFL’s efforts on domestic violence, Staubach said he can’t justify allowing a player like Hardy on the team.

“Well, it depends on getting a chance to understand the red flags … like the Hardy situation,” Staubach said Friday on KTCK-AM 1310 in Dallas. “Charlotte Jones is fantastic. She’s involved with the NFL on the committees. I think she had a hand in trying to understand that this guy deserves a second chance. I don’t have any tolerance toward domestic violence. If I was making the decision, it probably wouldn’t have been good for the Cowboys.”

Hardy missed 15 games last year and is suspended for 10 games this year for a domestic violence incident while he was playing for the Carolina Panthers.

The 73-year-old Staubach, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, said Hardy is not the kind of teammate he wants to be around.

“I wouldn’t really enjoy being in the locker room with someone I knew was a domestic violence person. That’s how I feel,” the legendary Cowboys quarterback said. “Today you know more about the personal lives of players. Back in the old days, there were some issues. But we never really had a domestic violence, smoking marijuana or …

“I’m sure it happened though, we just didn’t know about it. I would have really had a hard time with a teammate that you look at as a courageous, tough guy on the football field … to abuse a woman in any shape or form, there’s just no excuse for it.”

The Cowboys have taken a lot of criticism for signing the free agent Hardy to a one-year deal in March.

Hardy spent most of last season on the commissioner’s exempt list, where he drew the entirety of his $13.1 million salary as the Panthers’ designated franchise player during the legal proceedings and investigation into Hardy’s alleged physical attack of his then-girlfriend.

The case was dropped in North Carolina when Nicole Holder, Hardy’s accuser, did not appear in court. But the NFL pushed to get photos and details of the attack from investigators and was allowed to view pictures and physical evidence.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the evidence — including “hands to the head, hands to the neck” — was a major part of the case against Hardy, who met with the NFL twice during the league’s 60-day investigation.

The league determined at least four instances of excessive force were used by Hardy against Holder.