Roughriders' Chris Jones no longer pursuing Greg Hardy

Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager and head coach Chris Jones wants everyone to know that Greg Hardy is not about to become the newest member of the team.

Reports surfaced Tuesday that the CFL had blocked the Roughriders from adding Hardy to the team's exclusive negotiating list. Jones spoke with reporters later that day to address the connection between the team and the former Pro Bowl defensive end.

"Greg Hardy inquired to us back during camp and it was about a six-hour discussion," Jones said, according to CBC.ca. "The league made their ruling on it and we moved on."

"He was interested in coming up. I inquired with the league. The league made their ruling, and you can talk to (CFL commissioner) Jeffrey Orridge and those guys if you need to have more info on it," Jones later added.

After Jones finished speaking with reporters, a CFL spokesperson told CBC that it was in fact the Riders who had made the final call not to pursue Hardy, not the league office.

"The decision whether to pursue a player rests with the organization. And in this case, while the league did discuss the matter with the Riders, it was ultimately the organization's decision to not place Hardy on the Riders' negotiation list in May."