Last month, Mecole Hardman Jr. caught the game-winning touchdown for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
Three weeks later, the wide receiver remains at the center of the NFL news cycle — albeit not for the reasons one would have expected.
Earlier this week, Hardman made headlines when he appeared on The Pivot Podcast and painted a less than flattering portrait of his five-game stint with the New York Jets before he was traded to the Chiefs midseason. Shortly after, Jets star cornerback Sauce Gardner took to social media to imply that Hardman had leaked the team’s offensive game plan to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of their Week 6 matchup.
While Gardner deleted his post, SNY’s Connor Hughes reported that there was a “validated belief” by the Jets that Hardman had leaked the team’s game plans to not only the Eagles, but also the Chiefs, out of frustration regarding his role in New York.
Yes, I’m told there was validated belief from the #Jets that WR Mecole Hardman, frustrated by his lack-of usage, leaked game plans to the opposition, as implied by several players (Sauce Gardner, Kenny Yeboah) today.
Not just the #Eagles game, but also the #Chiefs.… pic.twitter.com/d6LlvPnDaJ
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) February 29, 2024
On Friday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith and ex-NFL players Damien Woody and Louis Riddick discussed the accusations, with all three agreeing that they could significantly damage Hardman’s NFL career. But while most of the focus has been placed on the potential fallout from the allegations if they are accurate, Smith weighed in on what could happen if they are proven false.
“That’s grounds for a lawsuit,” Smith said. “If they are false — because that’s a career-ender, y’all. That’s a career-ender. 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, he’s got to consider legal action.”
Stephen A. Smith says Mecole Hardman has grounds for a lawsuit if the allegations of him leaking the Jets' game plan aren't true.
"That's a career-ender. What locker room could he possibly go in if somebody believes it's true?… if the Jets are wrong, he got to consider legal… pic.twitter.com/bI3BsYdHjK
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 1, 2024
It’s unclear who, specifically, Smith thinks Hardman should sue — although it’s worth noting that Gardner and tight end Kenny Yeboah had both put their names on the allegations in since-deleted social media posts. Evidence for both sides could prove tricky, and such a case could ultimately devolve into a matter of “he said, he said” unless some sort of paper trail was actually discovered.
To Smith’s larger point, the allegations against Hardman could very well affect not just his reputation, but also his career. It would be hard to imagine that this is how the 25-year-old free agent-to-be envisioned spending his offseason following the biggest play of his football career.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.