Thousands of people have signed an online petition to remove footballer Ched Evans from an end-of-season honours list following his conviction for raping a 19-year-old woman.
The 23-year-old striker, who is serving a five-year jail sentence for the sex attack, was included in the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) League One team of the year.
The petition, on the campaign website change.org, has received more than 5,000 signatures.
Mr Hardt said: "I started this campaign because my students see professional footballers as role models and take these awards, like this one from the PFA, as endorsements of their heroes.
"It's staggering that the PFA would chose to endorse a convicted rapist when there are many footballers who are better role models for our young people.
"I urge the PFA to remove him from the list immediately."
On the petition site, Mr Hardt wrote: "I feel that the PFA are sending out a very troubling message. As a professional body, they have a responsibility to ensure that the public see them upholding certain values about sports professionals.
"Sign this petition to convince them that honouring Ched Evans is tacitly condoning his behaviour."
Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the PFA, last week defended the decision to include the Sheffield United and Wales striker in the list.
Evans was included in the team as members had already cast their votes.
Mr Taylor told Press Association Sport: "That was a football judgment by his fellow professionals, it was not a moral judgement and in no way does the PFA condone the offence for which he was convicted.
"If he had been removed from the team it would have created more of a storm and would have been manipulating the vote.
"Votes are cast on footballing ability, obviously everyone is quite disturbed about the conviction and whether that would have changed the vote we just don't know."
Evans was jailed at Caernarfon Crown Court earlier this month after being found guilty of raping the woman in a hotel room in North Wales last May.
He announced last week that he would appeal against his conviction.
In contrast, another campaign has been launched on a leading parenting website in support of the woman who was raped by Evans.
The initiator of the thread spoke of the "ugly spectacle" of "a bunch of men asserting their right to rape women" and called on the website to take action.
"Mumsnet, will you use the voice you have against this horrible hate campaign? Will you tell the woman that Ched Evans raped, that We Believe Her? Will you ask the FA to state publicly, that they too, believe her and that in future, they will work as hard to kick sexism out of football, as they do to kick racism out?"
Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts told the Telegraph: “Mumsnet members have wanted to show support to her and express their feeling that naming her was outrageous. They want to let her know that what he did was wrong and that they stand behind her."
Meanwhile, four other professional footballers have been charged with sexual assault and voyeurism.
Three Brighton and Hove Albion players and a Bournemouth AFC player were arrested in January after a woman made an allegation of sexual assault in Brighton on 17 July last year.
Sussex Police said George Barker, 20, of Highview Avenue North, Brighton, Lewis Dunk, 20, of Woodbourne Avenue, Brighton, and Anton Rodgers, 19, of Highview Avenue North, Brighton, who all play for Brighton, and former teammate Steve Cook, 21, of Perth Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, who now plays for Bournemouth AFC, have all been bailed to appear at Brighton Magistrates' Court on 11 May.
They are all charged with one count each of sexual assault and one of voyeurism.
A 19-year-old man, from Brighton, arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at the same time, has been advised that no further action will be taken against him, the force added.
Police arrested five players from Championship side Brighton and one from League One side Bournemouth early on 19 January.
Brighton defender Tommy Elphick, 24, who was one of six players arrested by detectives from the Surrey and Sussex major crime team, was eliminated from police inquiries the following day and was told no further action would be taken against him.
A statement released on behalf of Lewis Dunk said: "I confirm that I have been charged with two offences including sexual assault by touching.
"I am extremely disappointed at the decision to bring these charges against me, along with others, but know that I have the full support of my family, friends and colleagues in my endeavours to defend these allegations and clear my name.
"I am innocent of the allegations but because the matter is now to come before the courts, I can say or add nothing in any further detail."