Dallas Cowboys

Greg Hardy scolds Cowboys kick coverage team

Published Oct. 25, 2015 9:53 p.m. ET

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Dallas defensive end Greg Hardy broke into the special teams huddle to berate his teammates after they gave up a decisive 100-yard kickoff return by New York's Dwayne Harris.

After Harris sped the length of the field for the winning points in the Giants' 27-20 victory, Hardy broke into the subsequent special teams huddle before New York kicked off with 7:01 remaining Sunday.

Safety Danny McCray, a member of the unit, said Hardy even "pushed me a little bit."

"Greg Hardy is such a passionate player," McCray said. "He's all over the place. He's in the defensive huddle, the offensive huddle, and today he made our special teams huddle. I was a little surprised he was in there. ... I didn't realize who it was. Then I realized it was Greg. He was showing his passion that we gave up the lead and we needed to fix it.

"It's football. Those guys love each other, and we'll get in the meetings tomorrow and talk it over. We'll see what the coach says about it. (Hardy) was just trying to get us fired up."

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said the incident was not an issue, and team owner Jerry Jones concurred.

"I was standing right there," Garrett said after Dallas (2-4) lost its fourth straight game.

"To be a good football player and a good football team, you have to have passion and put it all out there. Sometimes in a game, things don't go well and you have a response. A pro football coach and a pro football team understand that those things happen. You want the guys with passion.

"It was coming off the football field. That happens, you encourage guys, you try to get guys excited. You try to get guys ready for the next challenge. I believe from my vantage point, that's what he was doing."

Jones cited Hardy as one of the "real leaders on this team, and he earns it with respect from all of his teammates, and that's the kind of thing that inspires a football team."

Hardy, who also could be seen having an intense discussion with injured star receiver Dez Bryant on the sideline, issued a half-dozen no comments to questions in the locker room, then turned his back to the media.

Hardy is in his first season with Dallas and missed the first four games while suspended under the NFL's personal conduct policy while with Carolina. Hardy played only one game for the Panthers in 2014 and spent the rest of the year on the commissioner's exempt list with full pay. He signed with the Cowboys as a free agent earlier this year.

Hardy was convicted last year of assault on a female and communicating threats in a case involving a former girlfriend. But the charges were dismissed in February after prosecutors said the accuser in the case couldn't be found.

He signed with Dallas in March and then was suspended for 10 games by the NFL for conduct detrimental to the league, a penalty that was later reduced to four games.

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