Jeff Hardy Suspended by AEW Without Pay After DUI Arrest
June 14, 2022
All Elite Wrestling suspended Jeff Hardy without pay following his arrest on charges of driving under the influence in Florida.
AEW President Tony Khan said Tuesday that Hardy "can only return to AEW upon successfully completing treatment and maintaining his sobriety."
Hardy's most recent arrest for alleged DUI was his third in 10 years, and his substance use is well documented.
Matt Hardy addressed the news Tuesday:
MATT HARDY @MATTHARDYBRANDIt was disheartening to hear the news about my brother yesterday. Recovery isn’t a linear process & I’ll continue doing whatever I can to help my brother be healthy. Being healthy & well is the most important thing for Jeff, his wife, his children & our family at this time.
TMZ Sports obtained dashcam video from the Florida Highway Patrol of Jeff's arrest. Multiple officers appear to try to communicate with Hardy while he remained in his vehicle. They then drew their weapons when he didn't exit the car.
One officer finally opens the door, at which point Hardy walks out and is guided to the front of a patrol car to be interviewed.
Per ESPN's Marc Raimondi, authorities measured Hardy's blood alcohol content at 0.294 and then 0.291, well above the legal limit of 0.08 in Florida.
Hardy made his AEW debut in March after having been released by WWE last December. The 44-year-old has maintained a steady presence on AEW programming and teamed with Matt to beat The Young Bucks at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May.
The Hardys were scheduled to compete in an AEW tag team title ladder match on Wednesday's edition of Dynamite, but that match has been pulled from the card.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer reported prior to Hardy's suspension that "WarnerMedia was told to stop all promotion of Jeff Hardy in any commercials or anywhere else immediately."