Latest On Greg Hardy, Cowboys

7:42pm: Jerry Jones has issued a statement in light of today’s events (Twitter link via ESPN’s Todd Archer):

“While we did not have access to the photos that became public today, we were and are aware of the serious nature of this incident. We as an organization take very this seriously. We do not condone domestic violence. We entered into the agreement with Greg fully understanding that there would be scrutiny and criticism. We have given Greg a second chance. He is a member of our team and someone who is grateful for the opportunity he has been given to move forward with his life and his career.”

4:09pm: Sources tell David Moore of the Dallas Morning News that the photos published today by Deadspin were not made available to the Cowboys. However, those sources stressed that the team was aware of those photos and “had an understanding of what they showed.”

2:34pm: Approximately a year and a half after Greg Hardy was arrested on misdemeanor charges of assault and communicating threats in Charlotte, Deadspin’s Diana Moskovitz has an in-depth report on the events of that night, citing police reports and photos that had not previously been made public. The details – and the photos – are ugly, and raise more questions about how much Jerry Jones and the Cowboys knew before signing Hardy to a one-year contract this offseason.

According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter), Cowboys officials are aware of the photos that have surfaced of Nicole Holder’s injuries, and have no comment. Given how often Jerry and Stephen Jones speak publicly about the Cowboys, it should only be a matter of time until they have to address the latest Hardy report in some form or another, but there has been no statement from the club yet.

Although they haven’t spoken yet today, both Jerry and Stephen Jones have publicly voiced a desire in recent weeks to extend Hardy beyond the 2015 season, despite his continued questionable behavior both on and off the field. It’s hard to imagine the Joneses doubling down on that sentiment now, but they’ve given no indication yet that their stance on Hardy has changed.

As a result of the NFL’s own investigation into the Hardy situation, the league had access to all the photos of Holder’s injuries published today by Deadspin, and viewed seven additional photos, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). The NFL took that evidence into consideration when making the decision to suspend Hardy for 10 games, though that penalty was reduced to four games after the defensive end appealed it.

As for the Cowboys, they signed Hardy before the NFL announced a suspension, and it’s not clear whether or not they’d seen the same photos the league did. Of course, as Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets, if the Joneses hadn’t been aware of the extent of the evidence against Hardy before today, it’s likely because they chose not to look too closely.

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