Jeff Hardy was arrested on Monday morning in Volusia County in Florida on multiple charges, including DUI and driving with a suspended license.
Jeff has struggled over the years with alcohol and addiction issues, leading to multiple legal charges and reprimands/firings/suspensions from his employers. Jeff has been suspended by AEW, without pay, and cannot return until he goes through substance abuse treatment and maintains his sobriety.
On the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy with Jon Alba, Matt detailed his own struggles with addiction and mental health throughout the years and spoke, as much as he could given the legal situation involving Jeff, on his brother's situation.
"After speaking to Jeff, the last couple of days, he is so remorseful, so embarrassed, he like hates himself. That's a part of it, too. He has to know, obviously what he did was atrocious and terrible, terrible decision making, but he has to know that people love him. It's very important. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the individual. You have to keep yourself in check and be on top of yourself. You are the only person that can really ensure that you're not going to go array or in a bad direction, whether it's because of mental or addiction issues. If you don't decide to do it on your own, you're going to kind of half-ass it and you don't get any positivity or productivity out of it," he said.
Jeff was scheduled to compete in a three-way ladder match on AEW Dynamite for the AEW Tag Team Titles, teaming with his brother to take on Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy) and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson). As a result of Jeff's actions, the Hardys were pulled from the bout.
When asked about the pressure of not wanting to let the fans down and how Matt deals with that pressure, he replied, "I go out of my way now to try and avoid those setbacks. I try to be as smart as I can, I think every decision through, put myself in situations to succeed and situations to be the best version of me that I can possibly be. In the past, when there were times like that and something happened and I didn't do it because I made poor decisions, you feel awful and usually regretful and remorseful. I know Jeff felt that way about everything, especially [at AEW Dynamite] with the ladder match. I felt bad, I was backstage feeling, 'Man, I should be out there doing this too, it's part of the advertised gig.' When it's all said and done, this is bigger than pro wrestling, it's just pro wrestling. It's big time pro wrestling, it's a big TV show and everything, but it's just pro wrestling. I just need my brother to be healthy and I need him to be well and be the best he can possibly be. That's what takes priority over everything else."
Some fans have placed blame on AEW and Jeff's family for enabling him since he came to AEW.
Matt's wife Reby responded on TikTok by saying, “Short of having him sleep between Matt and I, there is really not much more I could have personally done. I make it a point to never speak on his behalf, it’s not my place, I don’t want to do that, he doesn’t want me doing that but what we’re gonna make perfectly clear is that I am not responsible for the actions of a fully grown man. (Text on-screen: NEITHER IS MATT) Very frustrating when you’re doing as much as you can and you still get comments like that. Just a reminder that if you weren’t there, then you don’t know.”
Matt also addressed the comments from fans saying there was enabling happening from him or Reby by saying, "No alcohol comes here. No fans bring alcohol. That's one of the scariest things about this, especially if you feel like someone is vulnerable, 'Oh my God, you're my guy, let me buy you this alcohol.' She was on that shit. She gets very offended if she hears that because she would be the last person you could label as an enabler. She's a super bitch and would do whatever it takes to shut these instances down."
Matt said that Jeff is currently focused on his life. Jeff is due in court on July 5.
Throughout the conversation, Matt and Jon were open and honest with their own struggles and detailed the steps they took to get help.
Fans who are struggling with addiction or know someone who is struggling with addiction can find help by using the SAMHSA Addiction Support Hotline: 1-800-662-4357.
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