Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said he made the decision to sit Greg Hardy himself on Sunday against the Lions.
With the NFL embroiled in a serious domestic violence, following high-profile incidents with Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, the Panthers decided sitting Hardy, who has his own issues pending, would be best.
Rivera indicated he made the move after consulting with team owner Jerry Richardson and general manager Dave Gettleman.
“The decision was made that we believe this was in the best interest of the Carolina Panthers,” Rivera said. “I made this decision this morning.”
What swayed Rivera, who said as late as Friday he expected to start Hardy, who was convicted by a district judge on two counts of assaulting and communicating a threat to a female?
“My rationale is that it was in the best interest of the Carolina Panthers. We had to do this. I did this. And that’s it,” Rivera said.
