Steve Smith Sr. played with defensive end Greg Hardy for four seasons on the Carolina Panthers, from 2010 to 2013. They were at one point friendly enough to joke about their respective approaches to white-knuckle driving.
But now that Smith is a Raven and Hardy is again talking about the 2014 domestic-violence charges that led him out of Carolina, Smith isn't playing around. ESPN's Adam Schefter doesn't seem to believe Hardy -- who said he never hit a woman -- and neither does his former teammate.
Smith's full comment reads: "So I guess she Tripped on the carpet or something... my mom is a Survivor #DV [domestic violence] and I am advocate against #DV."
The graphic nature of the accuser's evidence of abuse makes Hardy's comments hard to believe. The charges against him were dropped when his accuser accepted a civil settlement and chose not to testify against him.
Hardy, 27, who was suspended four games last season for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy after an initial 10-game ban was reduced, had six sacks for the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. He's now a free agent. It doesn't look like he'll be headed to Baltimore anytime soon.