In the bizarre session at his locker, Hardy deflected questions about his off-the-field travails by answering “God bless you” and declared that he was ready to come out Sunday “guns blazin,’” an interesting choice of words for someone accused of tossing his ex-girlfriend on a bed of rifles.
In attendance at the owners meeting, Jones spoke exclusively to SI.com for the first-time since Hardy made his comments.
Like the commissioner, Jones claimed he was unaware of the comments. When told about Hardy’s “blazin” statement, Jones’s immediate response was “Oh my goodness.” He then briefly paused before offering an explanation.
“Well, you’re not allowed to have guns on the football field. We all know that’s just a way of expressing yourself. I hope his guns are ablazin’,” Jones said.
Jones was then informed about Hardy’s reaction when asked about facing Brady this week.
“I love seeing Tom Brady. You seen his wife? I hope she comes to the game. I hope her sister comes to the game,” Hardy had said.
Jones’s response?
“When I saw him marry her [Gisele], Tom went up in my eyes 100%. She’s very very attractive and it shows what an outstanding individual Tom is."