Tony Khan announces Jeff Hardy suspension
AEW has suspended Jeff Hardy due to his DUI arrest from Monday morning in Volusia County, Florida.
AEW President, CEO, General Manager & Head Of Creative Tony Khan took to Twitter this afternoon and announced Hardy’s suspension. Khan noted that the company just resumed contact with Hardy today, and that they do not condone his behavior. AEW has promised to help Hardy in getting treatment for substance abuse issues, and Hardy has indicated that he is open to receiving help. Hardy is currently suspended without pay, and AEW will only bring him back once he’s successfully completed treatment, and maintained his sobriety.
“We were able to resume contact with Jeff Hardy this afternoon. AEW does not condone Jeff’s alleged behavior. We’ve made it clear to Jeff that we’ll assist him in getting treatment for substance abuse issues, which he has indicated that he’s open to receiving. In the interim, he is suspended without pay, and he can only return to AEW upon successfully completing treatment and maintaining his sobriety. If you or a loved one needs help, please reach out to SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357),” Khan wrote.
There is no word yet on when Hardy might begin treatment.
As noted yesterday afternoon, Hardy was arrested for his third DUI since 2018 on Monday morning near Daytona Beach, FL. He was charged with second degree misdemeanor Driving While License Canceled/Suspended/Revoked, second degree misdemeanor Violation of Restrictions Placed on Drivers License, and third degree felony DUI Alcohol/Drugs Third Offense within 10 Years. He was released from the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach, after paying the $3,500 surety bond via bail bondsman, at around 7pm ET on Monday night, less than 12 hours after the arrest. His first hearing was scheduled for today at 1:30pm ET, but the hearing status was changed to cancelled on Monday evening after he bonded out of jail. You can find more details on the arrest at this link and here.
You can also watch police footage from the arrest at this link, which shows footage of Florida Highway Patrol troopers approaching Hardy with guns drawn due to his failure to comply at first.
The Hardys were scheduled to work a Triple Threat Ladder Match on this week’s Road Rager edition of AEW Dynamite, with The Young Bucks and AEW World Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express, but AEW has not announced the new match as of this writing. It was reported today that AEW asked WarnerMedia to stop all promotion of Jeff.
The Hardys’ status for Saturday’s AAA Triplemania event in Tijuana is still up in the air, but this AEW suspension likely means Jeff will not be wrestling in Mexico this weekend. While The Hardys are still advertised to face Dragon Lee and Dralistico, word is that AAA & ROH World Tag Team Champions FTR will likely end up replacing The Hardys if they are pulled over Jeff’s arrest. The AAA titles would be on the line in that match, if changed.
Stay tuned for more. Below is the full announcement from Khan-
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) June 14, 2022
