02 March 2024 , 06:00
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ESPN Stephen A. Smith has suggested that NFL wide receiver Mecole Hardman should consider legal action over allegations made by his former New York Jets teammates.
They claimed that Hardman leaked their game plan to opponents during the 2023 regular season. Hardman had previously helped the Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII, but not before having a difficult time in New York.
Last week, Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner seemed to accuse Hardman of sharing New York's offensive strategy with the Philadelphia Eagles. "We ain't gon talk about how our offensive gameplan got leaked vs. the Eagles," Gardner said in a post that has since been deleted.
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Jets punter Thomas Morstead also warned the media to be cautious about where they get their information, particularly from "disgruntled former employees."
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Hardman previously criticised the organisation and admitted he was "checked out" before being traded back to the Chiefs.
Following the comments made by Gardner and Morstead, and considering what could happen to Hardman as a result, Smith suggested that the young receiver should think about taking legal action. "Let me tell you something right now, if you are Mecole Hardman ... that's ground for a lawsuit. Seriously. If [the claims] are false ... that's a career-ender," Smith said.
"What locker room could he possibly go in if somebody believes it's true? If evidence came out that this is remotely true, what locker room could he go in? He's got to speak up today and if the Jets are wrong, you gotta consider legal action. Seriously, because it doesn't get [worse than that] ... does it get any worse than this as an indictment?"
While Jets players seem to hold ill-will toward Hardman, his Chiefs teammates feel differently. For example, tight end Travis Kelce considers Hardman to be one of his "favorite teammates."
"He keeps trying to find ways to win," Kelce said after the Chiefs' Super Bowl win. "He had a huge play for us early on that kind of sparked us and then on top of that, found a way to win the game for us when everybody counted him out - even the [New York] Jets counted him out.
"We were so excited when he got back in the building. He's the kind of guy that brings everybody together. He's got that kind of personality."
In the Super Bowl, Hardman caught the game-winning pass from star quarterback Patrick Mahomes in overtime to beat the 49ers for the second time in four years. At one point, even pop megastar Taylor Swift was spotted congratulating Hardman for his score.
The young receiver may not have been the right fit for the Jets, however the claims that Hardman was sharing New York's game plan with rival teams are serious and can't be overlooked. We might hear his side of the story in the next few days.