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Former Jets wide receiver Mecole Hardman has ended up on the receiving end of some fairly explosive accusations thanks to ex-teammates who claim he leaked inside info to opponents before being traded, and he may have violated NFL rules if that was actually the case.
Mecole Hardman ended the most recent NFL season on a high note after catching the game-winning touchdown for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII—a team he rejoined midway through the season after he failed to make much of a mark following his debut with the New York Jets at the start of the year.
The WR got candid while discussing that ill-fated stint in a podcast interview toward the end of February, and those comments came to the attention of some guys on the Jets who decided to air some dirty laundry by claiming Hardman had shared the team’s offensive game plan with the Eagles prior to what ended up being his final game with New York.
That led to SNY speaking with other sources who said the Jets were also under the impression Hardman had pulled a similar move before a game against the Chiefs at the start of October.
When that revelation came to light, I took a look at the NFL rulebook to see if there was any rule against the move Hardman allegedly pulled, and I was under the impression the league hadn’t instituted any guidelines designed to prevent an objectively idiotic decision that puts the team of the offending player at a disadvantage.
However, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted over the weekend, Hardman may have inadvertently violated the gambling policy the league instituted in 2023, which contains a section that reads:
“You must not share or provide access to confidential, non-public information regarding any NFL game or event, including but not limited to: (a) a participant’s availability for or performance in an NFL game or event; or (b) personnel-related decisions regarding an official, player, coach, team manager, or League or Club executive, including team rosters, player contract status, and game working assignments with any third-party that does not have a need or right to know such information”
While that rule is designed to prevent bettors from gaining access to privileged information, it sure seems like Hardman would have broken it if he did leak New York’s plans even though he was supposedly motivated by spite as opposed to money.
The NFL has the power to suspend players who flaunt that rule for a full season, so while it’s currently unclear if it has any plans to investigate the matter, this saga could just be getting started.