Should professional athletes be given a second chance after being accused or charged with violent crimes? It’s a question on everyone mind this week after photos surfaced of Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy‘s ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder.
NBA analyst Charles Barkley penned an essay for Bleacher Report on why men like Hardy, and people overall, should be given a second chance.
I need to get this off my chest.
I don’t know Greg Hardy. I’m not sure I like Greg Hardy. And I’m damned sure I know I don’t want Greg Hardy dating my daughter. Let me be clear: Domestic violence is 100 percent wrong. In this case, Hardy went through the judicial system. We need to find a way to stop giving up on black men. We need to get Hardy psychological help, similar to how Brandon Marshall faced up to his particular issues.
If something is wrong with Greg Hardy, simply discarding him without helping him does him a disservice, and sets him up to eventually put his hands on someone elses daughter or even worse.
Barkley went on to further explain his case.
For people to start going crazy a year-and-a-half later, because they saw the pictures of Holder’s injuries after she was allegedly assaulted by Hardy; I’m disturbed by that. We all agree that the pictures were awful. What is supposed to happen next? If you say he can’t play football anymore, what happens to him?
I believe that there are way too many black men we’ve just thrown away. Between mandatory minimum sentences, overworked public defenders and a whole lot of other reasons, there are too many black men behind bars. And when they get out, they don’t have a chance—to get a job, to buy a house, to vote.
Barkley has a point. Those individuals will be back into society one way or another. There is no deep hole to toss them in where they won’t come in contact with the human race. So in theory its to everyone’s benefit to ensure these individuals receive help. Because clearly, Greg Hardy has some issues he still needs to work out.
