Trial of Carolina’s Greg Hardy postponed until 2015

The waiting game will continue for Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy.

Hardy’s jury trial on domestic violence charges has been postponed from Nov. 17 until early 2015, the Mecklenburg County district attorney’s office announced Tuesday in a written statement.

In July, Hardy was found guilty by Mecklenburg District Judge Becky Thorne Tin of beating ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder and threatening to kill her.

North Carolina law gives those convicted of misdemeanors in so-called bench trials a right to a jury trial in Superior Court.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Tin was told in closing arguments by an assistant district attorney that Hardy erupted in anger while he and his ex-girlfriend were in his bedroom after a long night of drinking.

The Observer said Holder testified that Hardy flung her from the bed, threw her into a bathtub, then tossed her on a futon covered with rifles. She said the 6-foot-4 Hardy ripped a necklace he had given her off her neck, threw it into a toilet and slammed the lid on her arm when she tried to recover it. She said he later dragged her from room to room by her hair before putting his hands around her throat.

There has been no date set for the trial, which Tuesday’s release said was postponed because of a crowded court docket.

Hardy, who signed a $13.1-million contract with the Panthers last winter, has played in one game this season but is still being paid $770,000 per week during his suspension. Coach Ron Rivera said last week that the league should allow Hardy to play this season if his trial were to be postponed until next year.