CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman would welcome Greg Hardy back next season regardless of whether the Pro Bowl defensive end is found guilty of domestic violence charges.
He's not alone.
Defensive tackle Dwan Edwards also said he would welcome back Hardy, who has been on the commissioner's exempt list since mid-September with the understanding he would stay there until his case is resolved.
A source told ESPN.com on Sunday the case is scheduled to start the week of Feb. 9. Hardy is scheduled to become a free agent on March 10. But nobody was more outspoken about wanting Hardy back than Norman, who ran into his teammate on Sunday when players gathered at Bank of America Stadium before being let go for the offseason.
"Look, I don't condone domestic violence whatsoever," Norman said less than 24 hours after Carolina's season ended with a 31-17 loss at Seattle in an NFC divisional playoff game. " I don't condone none of that. But at the end of the day, the man's got to make a living. He's got to work. He's got a job to do.
"At the end of the day, that case is going to be there. But once you get done with it, you've still got to work."
Norman said Hardy, who was paid his full $13.1 million salary as Carolina's franchise tag player while on the exempt list, wants to return to the Panthers.
"His heart is in Carolina," Norman said. "I had a talk with him. He wants to be here. He don't want to go nowhere else. He wants to be in Carolina. He even told me he would play for free. That's what he told me verbatim out of his mouth."
There was a message from Hardy on the whiteboard in the Carolina locker room. It said in the top-right corner: "I LOVE YOU GUYS ALL J.P. KRAKEN."
Message with Kraken name on #Panthers board. pic.twitter.com/SHDqgU5fDI
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) January 11, 2015Coach Ron Rivera and general manager Dave Gettleman have taken a wait-and-see approach on whether they would be interested in Hardy after his case is resolved.
Rivera also said several times during the stretch run that the team played better defensively once it moved on and realized Hardy wasn't coming back this season.
Neither was available for comment on Sunday.
Hardy was arrested in May on charges he assaulted and threatened ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder at his uptown Charlotte apartment. He was found guilty by a Mecklenburg County judge on July 15.
He appealed the verdict and asked for a jury trial. Under North Carolina law, that means the judge's verdict is set aside.
Hardy's appearance at the stadium on Sunday was his second since he was placed on the exempt list. He had stopped by unannounced one other time in early December. Not everybody saw him on Sunday, but Norman did.
"He gave me some great insight ... great insight," Norman said. "The guy, he is far beyond what he looks like. He definitely has some good stuff going on up there. The thing is with G, his motor is always going. Even when he's not playing, his motor is always going."
Norman said it didn't feel like goodbye.
"I personally hope that it's not," he said. "A guy of that caliber, we need him. I mean, hands down I would love, I would welcome back, man, relish the chance to play with that guy again just now in my newly stated form [his return to the starting lineup]. Oh, my goodness."
Asked whether he felt a return was realistic for Hardy, Norman said, "I pray that it's realistic. I hope that it's realistic. But at the end of the day, I'm not making that call."
Edwards didn't see Hardy, but he shared many of Norman's sentiments.
"I love Greg Hardy," he said. "He's one of my guys. He's a great player. Obviously, if he's on our team, we're a better football team. Obviously, we've got to see what happens. I would love for him to be back. He's a great player. He makes our team better."
And like Norman, Edwards would welcome Hardy back innocent or guilty.
"Yeah," he said. "If he pays his dues and serves his time, he serves his time."