The release of photos from the Greg Hardy case earlier this week placed a grim cloud over Sunday's Cowboys vs. Eagles matchup in Dallas. So much so that even the announcers were having a difficult time putting everything into its proper perspective. The Cowboys, after all, are standing firm in their support of the defensive end.
But pent-up anger, over both what the Hardy incident and the relatively short amount of time he served in suspension -- Hardy orginally was suspended for 10 games by the league after he sat out 15 games in 2014 on the Commissioner's Exempt List, but saw his suspension reduced to four by an arbitrator following an appeal by the NFL Players Association -- might have also propelled the Eagles in an overtime victory. At least that's what two different offensive linemen said afterward.
"Anytime I got a chance to put a little extra mustard on a block, I tried," Eagles tackle Lane Johnsontold the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He wasn't all that emotional in the game. I don't know if the stuff got to him on the news, but he seemed out of it a little bit."
"There are three (types) of people I have zero respect for in this world," center Jason Kelce told the Philadelphia Daily News. "It's people who hit women, people who molest children, and rapists. I'm glad he didn't have a good day and ... I don't know. I think it's a joke a guy like that is able to play this quickly."
It's clear that Hardy's attitude in the wake of this scandal, in addition to his on-field issues -- a 140-character Twitter apology is not going to pacify anyone -- are making waves across football.
Now, the one thing keeping him in this league -- talent -- has also skipped a beat. At least for one week.