Cowboys Greg Hardy suspension decreased from 10 games to 4, Steelers Le'Veon Bell should be next

NFL reduces Greg Hardy suspension to 4 games. Drew Rosenhaus said he will confer with Hardy, NFLPA and his lawyers to discuss next move.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 10, 2015

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took a gamble on Greg Hardy, and he won. Some might scoff at such a notion, but the truth is Hardy was handed a 10-game suspension, and it was recently reduced to 4-games. Hardy will now be returning to the Cowboys when they play the New England Patriots in Week 5.

The NFL showed leniency on Hardy after there were no criminal charges filed, but also backing off of the official ruling made which is a move they have done for years. With Hardy's suspension reduced significantly, and Tom Brady's appeal hearing all but concluded, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell's appeal of his 3-game suspension should be next on the docket for Roger Goodell and the league office.

Bell was arrested for a DUI last August and was given a 3-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, yet also breaking the league's stance on players getting arrested for DUIs. There is a strong chance Bell's suspension gets reduced to two games, but fans also shouldn't hold their breath. Although the league has backed off of suspensions like Hardy's (and Ben Roethlisberger's in 2010), it isn't a safe bet it will happen every time an appeal is heard.

Although any certainty of the result of the appeal is very much in the air, the Steelers organization should finally get to know just how long they will be without their prolific running back sooner than later.