Despite his pending legal issues, defensive end Greg Hardy is expected to be in attendance when the Panthers kick off Phase Three of their OTAs Tuesday.

Hardy returned to workouts at Bank of America Stadium this week, and the Panthers have no immediate plans to ask him to stay away while his legal situation is sorted out. His next scheduled court date is June 27, and the team is continuing its investigation into what happened the morning of May 13.

OTAs are voluntary for players, but the Panthers gave Hardy a $1.3 million advance pending his full participation in the offseason program. As Carolina’s franchise player, he is guaranteed a total of $13.1 million in 2014.

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