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| No. 81, 84, 13 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1985-12-24)December 24, 1985 Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | c. June 7, 2017(2017-06-07) (aged 31) Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Elmhurst (Fort Wayne) | ||||||||
| College | Indiana | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2008: 2nd round, 41st overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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James W. Hardy III (December 24, 1985 – c. June 7, 2017) was an American professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by theBuffalo Bills in the second round of the2008 NFL draft and also played for theBaltimore Ravens. He playedcollege football for theIndiana Hoosiers.
James Hardy was born and raised inFort Wayne,Indiana.[citation needed]
He attendedElmhurst High School where he was a star athlete infootball andbasketball. He received an athletic scholarship for football atIndiana University.[citation needed]
At Elmhurst High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Hardy playedfootball and basketball. As a senior, he posted 34 catches for 710 yards and 10touchdowns and was a Class 4A all-state selection by the Indiana Football Coaches Association.[citation needed]
As a basketball player, he was runner-up in theIndiana "Mr. Basketball" award voting and an Indiana All-Star. He ranks high on the list for the city scoring record for Fort Wayne, with over 2,000 points during his four years at Elmhurst. Hardy led Elmhurst to a state championship appearance hisjunior year. However, Elmhurst was defeated byBishop Chatard High School fromIndianapolis.[citation needed] Hissenior year, he led Elmhurst to a sectional championship, but later was defeated by Bellmont High School in the regional finals.
Hardy was also a two-time winner of theTiffany Gooden Award, awarded annually to the most outstanding male or female basketball player in theSAC.[citation needed]
Hardyredshirted as atrue freshman in 2004. As a redshirt freshman in 2005, he posted 61 catches for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns. His play earned him aFreshman All-American selection.[citation needed]
As a sophomore, he caught 51 passes for 722 yards and 10 touchdowns and was named Second-teamAll-Big Ten for a second straight year. His 20 career receiving touchdowns in his first two years had tied him withErnie Jones (1984–1987) for second on the university's all-time list, trailing only Jade Butcher (1967–1969) and his 30 career TD grabs.[citation needed]
As a junior, Hardy caught 74 passes for 1,075 yards—ranking third in the Big Ten in both categories—and became the Hoosiers' all-time receiving leader in touchdowns (36), yards (2,690) and receptions (186). He was selected first-team All-Big Ten selection, aFred Biletnikoff Award semifinalist and the team's most valuable player.[1]
During his time at Indiana, Hardy also played on thebasketball team for one season.[2]
In January 2008, Hardy declared himself eligible for the2008 NFL draft, saying "I have reached the pinnacle of mycollege football career."[3]
At theNFL Scouting Combine, Hardy was a top 10 performer in the bench press, broad jump, 3-cone drill, and 20-yard shuttle. In the bench press, Hardy finished ninth among wide receivers with 18 reps at 225 lb (102 kg). He finished 8th in the broad jump with a distance of 10 ft 5 in (3.18 metres). He finished 7th in the 3-cone drill with a time of 6.84 seconds. He also finished tied for seventh in the 20-yard shuttle with a time of 4.20 seconds. Official 40-yard dash time was 4.49.[4]
Hardy was selected by theBuffalo Bills in the second round (41st overall) of the2008 NFL draft.[5] He signed a multi-year contract with the team on July 24. On September 14, 2008, in his second game, Hardy caught his first touchdown late in a win against theJacksonville Jaguars. He finished the campaign with nine catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns.[6]
Hardy played in two games in 2009, catching one pass for nine yards. On September 4, 2010, he was released by the Bills.[6]
On January 17, 2011, Hardy was signed to a reserve/future contract by theBaltimore Ravens.[7] He practiced little with the Ravens during the 2011 training camp due to chronic hamstring problems, the same injury that nagged him while with the Bills. He was released by the Ravens on September 5, 2011.[citation needed]
After the NFL, Hardy turned his attention to Hollywood, where he pursued a career in modeling and acting.[8]
On May 4, 2014, Hardy was arrested on felony charges following a dispute at his home in Los Angeles, in which a visibly drugged Hardy attacked police officers responding to a disturbing the peace call.[9] In November 2014, it was reported a judge deemed Hardy unfit for trial and remanded him to a mental facility.[10]
On June 7, 2017, Hardy's body was found lodged in a dam in theMaumee River in Fort Wayne, Indiana.[11] He was 31 years old.[12] On July 18, his death was ruled asuicide, by way ofasphyxia from drowning.[13]
