IRVING, Texas -- All we've heard for the past few weeks is how hard defensive end Greg Hardy practices. And what a good teammate he has been. And how he's evolving into a leader on the Dallas Cowboys' defense.
It's hard to believe given the reasons behind Hardy's lengthy suspension, but owner Jerry Jones has said Hardy can be a leader on this team. Vice president Stephen Jones has said the same thing.
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said Hardy leads by example.
"He attacks every drill. I don't go much by words, I just watch guys work," Marinelli said. "His work habits are special. He comes out here, and he goes to work. You can see the passion in every rep.
"He's just being himself. The best way to make an impression is to be yourself. Just be yourself, and I think he's doing well."
Frankly, the dichotomy is fascinating.
Hardy, after all, is appealing a 10-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the NFL. The league based Hardy's suspension on photos it obtained from law enforcement that showed Hardy's girlfriend had bruises on her body after an alleged domestic violence incident.
The case was later dropped on appeal. Hardy reached a civil agreement with the woman, and she declined to cooperate with authorities.
Make of that what you will, but so much controversy surrounds Hardy.
After all, premier defensive ends like Hardy don't just get cut unless there's a serious off-the-field issue.
Hardy has 27 sacks in his past 32 games, a phenomenal number. But he missed the past 15 games after the Carolina Panthers put him on commissioner's exempt list.
No one in the Cowboys' locker room, whether you speak to them publicly or privately, seems to care all that much about the controversy.
And that's one of the most intriguing things about sports.
Locker rooms bring athletes together from diverse backgrounds and gets them to work together.
Black and white. Rich and poor. City kids and country kids. Some grow up in two-parent homes and others come from broken homes. Religion is important to some players and means nothing to others.
But when they walk through the doors at the club's Valley Ranch training facility, they all come together for a common goal.
Is that any different than the approach we take with our work colleagues? Some folks you like and others you can't stand, but you figure out a way to get the job done.
If we're honest, there are some guys in the locker room who respect the way Hardy practices but hardly endorse his lifestyle based on what they've read.
He's with the Cowboys, and as long as he can help them win games and realize their goals, they're down with him. And it doesn't mean they agree with what he has alleged to have done.
"I don't think he has to prove anything. He just needs to be a good teammate, show up and work hard. And I think he's done that," said Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who grew up with domestic violence in his family home.
"He's been really good with the edge he brings. He got juice. He's big and strong, but he's got pep in his step, and he plays until the whistle blows."
Hardy has done his best to fit in with his new teammates. It starts with his commitment to practice, which is among the traits Cowboys coach Jason Garrett treasures most.
He was reportedly involved in a verbal altercation with defensive tackle Davon Coleman, because Hardy didn't think the second-year lineman was working hard enough.
That takes gumption.
Garrett believes practice is important, and he wants players who practice at such a high level that the games seem easy.
"That was an important thing we talked about, and he embraced it," Garrett said of Hardy's involvement in the offseason program. "He wanted to get here as quickly as he could and show his teammates what he's really all about.
"If you ask any guy who's worked with him or against him to this point, he brings it every day. That's what we saw and heard about him before we signed him. We like his work ethic and what he's doing on the field and in the weight room."
And all of it diverts the Cowboys' attention from what Hardy has alleged to have done off the field.