CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Greg Hardy will start the Carolina Panthers home opener Sunday against the Detroit Lions, coach Ron Rivera said Friday. Hardy missed practice Wednesday to meet with his attorney, but practiced for a second straight day. The defensive end was convicted July 15 of assault on a female and communicating threats, but is appealing. The teams franchise player, Hardy has not been suspended by the NFL or the Panthers despite his conviction following an altercation with his ex-girlfriend at his apartment in March. The league has stated it is waiting to see what happens in a jury trial set for Nov. 17 in Charlotte. Rivera acknowledged dealing with the Hardy situation -- which has received added attention this week after Ray Rice was cut by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL -- has been a distraction to players. "They want to talk about football," Rivera said. "They want to talk about who theyre playing. They want to talk about themselves. They want to see their pictures in the paper doing good things. That is the truth of the matter. Its hard. It really is. As a coach you want your guys to focus in on what they have to do." But Rivera said his team has handled the distractions well. Rivera said what is hardest to deal with is the "perception" the Panthers dont care about the issue of domestic violence, which he said couldnt be further from the truth. "We are trying to do things the right way," said Rivera, the NFL coach of the year last season. Hardy was unavailable for interviews Friday. Rivera reemphasized the team is following the leagues stance of waiting until the legal process is complete. He was found guilty in a bench trial, but under criminal procedure in North Carolina, lawyers can appeal that ruling. That basically gives Hardy a new trial where he is considered innocent until proven guilty. "Its a tough situation and a set of circumstances," Rivera said. "We are in a process, as weve said, and we are letting the process play out. ... Were not trying to do anything below board, we are trying to go through the process as we understand it. We are going to do the best we can." Theres a chance the jury trial may be pushed back to next year due the cases pending ahead of it in the legal system, Hardys attorney Chris Fialko recently said. By that time, Hardy may be an unrestricted free agent as his current one-year, $13.1 million contract expires after the season. Rivera said in the meantime the focus is on football. He said Hardy, who had four tackles and a sack in last weeks 20-14 win over Tampa Bay, doesnt appeared distracted on the field. "Greg gets on the practice field and hes full go," Rivera said. "Hes full blast 100 per cent. Football is football to him and he is focusing in on what needs to be done." NOTES: Running back DeAngelo Williams missed his second straight day of practice with a thigh injury and is questionable. Jonathan Stewart will start if Williams cant play. ... Rivera listed Cam Newton (ribs) as probable, but said theres "no doubt" the quarterback will start after practicing all week. ... Tight end Greg Olsen is probable after leaving practice early Thursday to be with his 2-year-old son, T.J., who is battling heart problems. Rivera said the youngster is doing much better but didnt share any details. .. In other injury news, reserve offensive lineman Garry Williams (hip) and linebacker Jason Williams (thigh) are questionable for Sunday. Wholesale NFL Jerseys China . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. NFL Jerseys China . Blatter, a 75-year-old Swiss executive who has been in office since 1998, was handed a final four-year term as head of footballs governing body in a vote at FIFAs congress. He won 186 votes out of 203 ballots. https://www.chinajerseysnfl.us/.C. -- Theyll remember the OT from the first Syracuse-Duke game -- and the Ts that decided Round 2. Fake Nike NFL Jerseys . Campbell, playing on loan with Greek club Olympiacos, found the net with a left-footed shot in the 44th minute off a pass from second-half substitute Jorge Rojas to open the scoring at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping . The All Blacks played their best rugby of recent years when they beat South Africa 38-27 in Johannesburg two weeks ago, clinching the Rugby Championships in a match which has been hailed as one of the best ever played.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers offensive lineman Andrew McDonald said he expects to return to training camp next month after undergoing surgery in May for testicular cancer. McDonald said Wednesday that doctors expect him to make a full recovery. McDonald was "Player A" in a report on the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal this year that indicated he was among those bullied. McDonald didnt have any symptoms, but noticed a "bump on his skin" on one of his testicles and met with doctors on May 19. He said hes glad he did. Doctors determined he had testicular cancer and operated the following day to remove the mass. "Its out and right now I should be all good," he said. The 25-year-old McDonald said doctors believe they caught the cancer before it spread. He said hell need to return every few months for follow up CT Scans. "It was obviously surprising news," McDonald said. "They scheduled surgery for the next day, so it kind of hits you all at once. But I just made up my mind not to get down or let it affect me and stay positiive.dddddddddddd It has worked out, so thank God for that." After the bullying report, McDonald released a statement through his agent Brett Tessler saying, "While Andrew cant speak for other players involved in the report, he personally has had no problem with the Miami Dolphins organization and has the highest opinion of (offensive line) coach (Jim) Turner both personally and professionally and feels terrible about the way their relationship has been portrayed in the report." McDonald talked briefly on Wednesday about his time in Miami. He said offensive tackle Jonathan Martin, the primary victim in the bullying scandal that involved Richie Incognito, "went through a lot and it kind of affected him a little differently. "Everybody goes through a little adjustment when they get into the league. I saw it as beating on the rookies and just kind of playing around and messing with them. But with some people it goes a little too far some times." McDonald declined to say if the bullying he encountered went too far. ' ' '