Carolina Panthers fans most likely remember former player Greg Hardy, who spent five seasons with the team. Hardy was pulled over for a traffic stop in Texas on Sept. 26, and officers found a baggie in his vehicle that Hardy denied knowing anything about. It was later found to contain .7 grams of cocaine. This resulted in a felony drug charge and the possibility of up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
After six weeks, Hardy was indicted on one felony count of drug possession. This is not the first time he has had legal troubles. Although the charges were eventually dropped, in 2014, his ex-girlfriend accused him of dragging her around by her hair and throwing her into the bathtub.
In that case, Hardy had a bench trial and was convicted. He appealed, and his ex-girlfriend then stopped cooperating with the district attorney. This led to the dropped charges.
Drug charges may have serious legal consequences as well as repercussions in other areas if a conviction is obtained. For example, if the defendants work in certain fields, they could be suspended from or lose their jobs. In other cases, their financial aid for college could be in jeopardy. They might also be facing incarceration and serious fines. Because of these types of consequences, one of the first things those who are facing these charges may want to do is discuss their priorities with an attorney. For example, if they have prior convictions, they might want to focus more on getting a shorter sentence. If it is a first offense, they might want to focus on pleading guilty to lesser charges or trying to have the charges dismissed altogether.
Source: CBS Sports, “Ex-Cowboy Greg Hardy indicted on felony count of cocaine possession,” John Breech, Nov. 7, 2016