On Wednesday night, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson received the Echo Award Against Indifference. Many have criticized Richardson’s inaction against DE Greg Hardy for his direct involvement in a domestic violence case. When Richardson accepted the award, he noticeably became choked up and had this to say in Hardy’s case.
“When it comes to domestic violence, my stance is not one of indifference,” Ricardson said, via Bill Voth of BlackAndBlueReview.com. “I stand firmly against domestic violence, plain and simple. To those who would suggest we’ve been too slow to act, I ask that you consider to not be too quick to judge. Over the course of our 20 years, we have worked extremely hard to build an organization with integrity and earn the trust of your community. I look forward to continuing to earn your trust and I thank you for this award.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was scheduled to be at the awards ceremony as well, but canceled when the AP announced that the NFL had access to Ray Rice’s domestic violence video since April of this year. As for Richardson and the Panthers, it appears that the money may be preventing any action from them. Hardy was franchised tagged by the organization and will receive a $14 million payday this season. It seems that despite Hardy’s domestic violence allegations, it’s hard for the Panthers to walk away from $14 million and the opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl.
[h/t NBC Sports]