Greg Hardy Reportedly 'Concerned' Cowboys, Missed Practice Last Week

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy may have gotten a second chance when he signed with America's Team, but his behavior has hardly rewarded owner Jerry Jones' investment in him.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Dallas was "concerned about" Hardy after he was late for Thursday's practice. He didn't call to inform the team of his tardiness, which forced the Cowboys to call around looking for him. Hardy did not participate, and Dallas said it was because of an illness.

On Tuesday, Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan reported the Cowboys told him Hardy "absolutely did not go AWOL" last week.

In July 2014, Hardy was found guilty of assault for a domestic violence incident but appealed the conviction and had the charges dropped in February. The Carolina Panthers placed the 27-year-old on the commissioner's exempt list in September 2014. He appeared in just one game last season.     

The Cowboys signed Hardy in March. In July, an arbitrator reduced his 10-game suspension to a four-game ban. In two contests with Dallas so far, Hardy has registered three sacks and a forced fumble. Off the field, however, red flags continue to fly.

He said he wanted to come out "guns blazing" and talked about Tom Brady's wife prior to his Cowboys debut, which forced Jones to come to his defense, per Sports Illustrated's Melissa Jacobs. The Pro Bowler then blew off the media following Sunday's 27-20 loss to the New York Giants, during which he got into a heated dispute with injured receiver Dez Bryant.

ESPN analyst Cris Carter weighed in on Jones' tolerance of Hardy's antics:

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports criticized Dallas head coach Jason Garrett for not punishing Hardy:

Garrett has a tricky situation to handle. His team has lost four straight games after a 2-0 start, and while disciplining Hardy is an option, it seems that would go against Jones' wishes.

It appears it will be up to Bryant and fellow injured offensive star Tony Romo to get Hardy in line. Otherwise, Hardy could completely derail the Cowboys' season as they try to claw their way into the NFC playoff picture.