Even in this brief excerpt, Hardy's words seem at odds with each other, and bordering on nonsensical. Here is a fair reading of the quotes: he has never put his hands on a woman, but about those pictures, well, that happened, but it was handled. Maybe he did something wrong, maybe he didn't, but he is innocent. This is both very lumpy and completely circular.Hardy could say that he is technically innocent, even though he was initially found guilty in a bench trial, with the judge remarking "the court is entirely convinced Hardy is guilty of assault on a female and communicating threats." However, when it came time to try him before a jury, Holder did not cooperate with the prosecution—speculation is a financial settlement was reached—and the case against Hardy was dismissed.The whole interview will air tomorrow on ESPN.Hardy: "I've never put my hand on ANY women … In my whole entire life, No Sir. That's just not how we're raised. As you can tell, like I said again, it's the Bible belt. It's just something that's, I wouldn't even say frowned upon, just something that's nonexistent in most southern homes."
Schefter: "You say you did nothing wrong, you're innocent and yet the pictures of her that surfaced would seem to suggest a woman who had some type of physical contact. How do you explain that?"
Hardy: "I will stop you there and say that I didn't say that I didn't do anything wrong. That situation occurred and that situation was handled but … saying that I did nothing wrong is a stretch but saying I am innocent is correct. Yes sir."
Schefter: "Did you ever put your hands on her?"
Hardy: "No Sir … No Sir."