Cowboys tight end Jason Witten lived with domestic violence until he was 11 years old. After seeing the entire Ray Rice video in September of 2014, Witten referred to it as "unacceptable" and "disappointing."
How then does the 11-time Pro Bowler rectify himself with the fact the Cowboys signed defensive end Greg Hardy, who was suspended 15 games last year due to a domestic violence conviction?
"Honestly, I think more than anything, everybody knows my story with domestic violence," Witten said Sunday at his youth football camp in Argyle, Texas. "And it's unwavering and that's something that I lived and my family lived. But, you know, that guy is a teammate of mine. So, I think you have to look at it from the standpoint of, as Coach Garrett said, it's our job to let those guys in and give the standard of how we do things."
According to Witten, Hardy is a "hard worker and "talented." The day after being suspended by the NFL for the first 10 games in 2015, Hardy was seen on the practice fields of Valley Ranch improving his game and working out. Even in the dearth of time Witten and Hardy have been Cowboys together, the six-time All Pro is pleased with the kind of teammate Hardy has been.
"I think he's done a great job since he's been here," said Witten. "It's not my job to decide who comes and who doesn't. I'm a tight end. So, I'm really pleased with how he's approached himself and worked and the kind of teammate he's been. The next day he got suspended, the next day, he was in there working out. I think thats the kind of mentality he has is the kind of work ethic he's trying to prove."
Witten has also seen the contriteness in Hardy's demeanor since arriving in Dallas, saying the 26-year-old has "learned a lot" from his past year's worth of legal, domestic, and professional troubles.
"When you have a guy like that and he gets suspended and doesn't really know what's going to come. The guy works his tail off. I think our job is to welcome him and show him the way we do things and embrace him as a teammate."
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