Photos, more details emerging from Greg Hardy’s domestic violence case

In a transcript obtained by Deadspin, Greg Hardy and his attorney, Frank Maister, portrayed the victim in his expunged July 2014 domestic violence conviction as a predator during a confidential reinstatement hearing with the NFL. The two challenged allegations of violence by the current Cowboys defensive end, and attacked Nicole Holder’s character in ways that were pertinent and impertinent to the case.

Holder told police that Hardy threw her into a bathtub at his apartment after the two came back from a night out along with several other people. Maister makes a case, which was never presented in court, that Holder likely tripped on bathroom scale and fell into the tub.

Sadly, the law has punished Hardy as much as it can. Nicole Holder’s consistent, harrowing testimony and the images of her were enough to convict Hardy in a court of law. That decision was overturned on appeal when Hardy and Holder reached a settlement out of court, vacating the previous decision.

The idea that people are innocent until proven guilty is a tenet of American society. But Hardy was proven guilty, more than we can even say about Ray Rice. Although Hardy is now technically not guilty in the eyes of the law, we can use our eyes and draw our own conclusions.

A more detailed account of the night Greg Hardy was arrested for allegedly threatening and assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder, was revealed in a Deadspin story by Diana Moskovitz published Friday. Moskovitz obtained police documents from the incident, including transcripts of interviews between Holder and police, the 911 calls placed that night and photos of the injuries that Holder suffered. The documents portrayed a terrified Holder and showed how Hardy’s story changed several times through multiple meetings with police.

On May 12, 2014, Holder received a text from Hardy’s personal assistant and manager, Sammy Curtis, asking her and a friend to hang out Hardy’s apartment that night. Hardy and Holder had broken up some time in February, but were still in each other’s lives. A group of people, including Holder and Hardy, met at Hardy’s apartment, then drank there and at several bars before leaving to go back to Hardy’s place at 3 a.m.

Greg Hardy will return to the field this week from a four-game suspension (previously 10 games) for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Hardy was convicted of assaulting and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend last year, which resulted in him missing all but one game while sitting on the commissioner’s exempt list. The case was dismissed after the victim declined to cooperate with authorities during the court appeal.

Still, the initial details of the case were harrowing. Hardy allegedly strangled the victim, slammed her against a futon and threw her on a couch covered with firearms. The NFL felt it had enough evidence to suspend the defensive end, now with the Dallas Cowboys. The suspension was reduced largely because an arbitrator felt that the NFL’s initial 10-game suspension went beyond its own policy guidelines.

Hardy was arrested in May 2014 after a troubling incident in which he allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend, Nicole Holder, choked her, and threw her against a futon and on a couch covered with guns. He was found guilty in July, but was allowed to appeal and ultimately had charges dropped in February after Holder declined to testify.

Before determining Hardy’s 10-game suspension in April (ultimately reduced to four games) the NFL wanted as much visual evidence of the alleged assault as possible. It already had photos that were part of two separate police files, but another set was unavailable because it had been handed to prosecutors by a non-law enforcement source.

Greg Hardy has been a lightning rod of controversy since well before the Dallas Cowboys signed him last week. Hardy was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, and even though the case was dismissed, he brings considerable baggage with him to Dallas. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones felt comfortable enough with Hardy’s background to give him a one-year deal, which he told Pro Football Talk is far less than the defensive end would have received without the off-the-field concerns.

“He’s paid a terrific price,” Jones said in reference to Hardy’s assault charges. “Had he not had this incident his contract would be one like Ndamukong Suh, possibly, but he doesn’t have that.”

Hardy appealed and had his case dismissed earlier this February. He was never technically under suspension -- the exempt list amounts to a paid leave of absence -- but he may still face punishment by the NFL for the 2015 season. Hardy is currently the subject of an independent investigation by the league into whether he violated the league’s personal conduct policy.

If found guilty, the question becomes whether Hardy will be subject to the guidelines of the old personal conduct policy, or the new policy that was enacted in December in response to a rash of high profile cases of domestic violence. Judge David Doty ruled Thursday that the NFL overstepped its boundaries by punishing Peterson under the new guidelines for a violation committed when the old policy was in place. If Hardy’s appeal receives a similar decision, he would face a two-game suspension rather than the new policy’s automatic six-game suspension for first-time offenders.

Hardy’s trial for domestic violence charges was originally scheduled for Nov. 17. Had he received a favorable outcome, he would have been eligible to immediately apply for reinstatement. But reports broke Thursday night that the trial date has been pushed back, effectively locking Hardy out of the 2014 season.

“In so many words, yes,” Rivera said. “If things had all transpired and gone a certain way, then his availability might be now.”

The White House told the National Football League to “get a handle” on its string of domestic and child abuse cases, while also on Thursday stating the league needs a zero tolerance policy, per CBS News.

A senior administration official relayed to reporters that recent cases involving NFL players and abuse against women and children are “deeply troubling.” The official goes on, via CBS:

Hardy will face Holder at the trial, though perhaps not of her own volition. She failed to appear at a hearing for her request for a restraining order last month, and shortly after her lawyer announced that they had parted ways. She was issued a subpoena to testify in Hardy’s trial, which means she could face penalties if she doesn’t appear in court, even though it’s unclear whether she wants the charges pursued.

Hardy faces up to 60 days in jail for the incident, which occurred May 14. He reportedly went back to his condo with Holder for an after-party, and got into a dispute that began as an argument about Holder’s previous relationship with rapper Nelly. Hardy and Holder were in the process of reconciling a relationship that had ended in March.

As Jonathan Jones of The Observer noted, the list consists primarily of assault weapons and shotguns -- no handguns. For example, the Tavor is classified as an assault rifle, the L1A1 as a semi-automatic battle rifle and the Benelli M4 as a tactical shotgun. All told, the list consisted of “six military-type, semi-automatic rifles and three .12-gauge shotguns,” according to The Observer. Per Jones, permits were not required for the firearms.

Hardy was ordered to turn in all of his firearms to authorities after allegedly throwing his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder, onto a couch covered with guns in an altercation, causing her bodily harm. Holder claimed that Hardy had a much larger stockpile than Hardy has reportedly turned over, which she said consisted of 25-30 “AK-47s, automatic-looking weapons, shotguns, rifles and pistols.”

The incident allegedly occurred at an “after party” in uptown Charlotte. Both Hardy and Holder were reportedly intoxicated. Details of how an altercation began are unclear. The Observer revealed details of the fight itself:

According to Holder, she was thrown on to a couch covered “in assault weapons and/or shotguns.” At that point, Hardy allegedly bragged that the assault weapons were loaded, and threatened to shoot Holder if she “went to the media or reported his assaults to anyone.” She alleged that Hardy has 25-30 firearms: “AK-47s, automatic-looking weapons, shotguns, rifles and pistols.”

Police responded to a call shortly after 4 a.m. on Tuesday. The call was made by the woman, the alleged victim, who said that Hardy had physically assaulted and threatened her, the Observer reports, via the incident report. The report goes on to state that she suffered minor injuries (bruises and scratches), refused treatment, and that the victim had been drinking alcohol.

Hardy was denied bond, which is typical in domestic violence cases for the first day, according to the Observer. The Panthers released a brief statement on the situation, which you can find below: