Greg Hardy Explodes On Cowboys Sideline But Goes Quiet Postgame

The hot-tempered Hardy got into it with coaches, players and media on Sunday night.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy let his emotions fly on the team's sideline during their 27-20 loss to the New York Giants before delivering a cold interaction with postgame media on Sunday night.

The divisional loss dropped the Cowboys to 2-4 on the season -- a sinking ship that's clearly brought out intense levels of frustration from Hardy, who got into a physical altercation with special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia after the game's decisive play.

After Giants wide receiver Dwayne Harris returned a kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 27-20 lead late in the fourth quarter, Hardy popped up in the special teams huddle to "fire up" his teammates, as Bisaccia put it to The Dallas Morning News postgame. The problem is Bisaccia was trying to organize his unit for the next play, which lead to an argument between Bisaccia and Hardy and an eventual slap of the clipboard from the defensive end.

"[Hardy's interjection] was just not the right time. It's really not an issue," Bisaccia said later. "I just had to communicate what we were going to do next on the return, so I just really wanted him to move on so we could get going."

Once Bisaccia got his unit moving again, Hardy walked back to the bench, but not before going head-to-head with injured star wide receiver Dez Bryant, a notorious hot head himself. Here, two insanely competitive men squared off without resolve, but Bryant didn't think much of it postgame.

"There is no issue," Bryant told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "That's just football. People want to make nothing into something, especially when we lose. That's just football."

On Sunday night, Bryant wasn't the only Cowboy trying to play down the scenes Hardy caused. Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett agreed that Hardy's outbursts were "no issue," while owner Jerry Jones said of Hardy's behavior: "I welcome that. I encourage it."

Internally, the Cowboys don't seem to have a problem with Hardy's insubordination toward a coach -- a player who's already facing major questions over his behavior and attitude following a non-apologetic rant earlier this month relating to his domestic violence suspension.

In the visiting locker room postgame, injured quarterback Tony Romo reportedly consoled Hardy before he faced the media. That may have calmed Hardy somewhat, but one couldn't tell from watching his interview. Seemingly taking a page out of Marshawn Lynch's media guide, Hardy preempted every question with "no comment" before ending the interview on his own, per NJ.com:

Q. "Could you describe your feelings right now?"

A. "No comment. Next question."

Q. "How do you think the de---"

A. "No comment. Next question."

Q. "Is there ---"

A. "No comment. Next question. Any other questions?"

Q. "It looks like you got into the special teams---"

A. "No comment. Next question."

Q. "Can you say anything about---"

A. "No comment. Next question. Any other questions?"

Q. "The Giants---"

A. "No comment. Any other questions?"

(Awkward two-second pause)

A. "Thank you guys for coming. I appreciate you all very much."

A video posted by @beccag05 on

Remember, all of this makes Hardy a "real leader," according to Jones.

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

The Cowboys will need more than Hardy's brand of inspiration to dig themselves out of their 2-4 record.

UPDATE: (5:29 p.m.) Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett told reporters on Monday afternoon that Hardy won't be disciplined for his sideline outburst.

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