Nose gear failure

Technical question regarding gear extension mechanisms:

Our flight school's Seneca had a nosewheel collapse today during
rollout after a landing. The instructor, pilot, and witnesses agree
that all of the airplanes 5 landings were good; none hard and
certainly no nosewheel landings. The lights were all green.

Examination shows that the rod end on the gear extension mechanism was
severely bent and sheared. No other structural damage was visible
inside the gear well. The FAA inspector's first reaction was a
rigging problem, but the Chief Mechanic of the flight school convinced
him that a hard landing had done the damage. There was no indication
when the hard landing might have occurred….could easily have been long
before the one where it collapsed, so no one is blaming the
instructor.

The instructor, who is a big iron A&P, doesn't believe that a hard
landing could do the damage indicated. He thinks that the rod end is
a flimsy piece of metal because it doesn't really bear any load; its
job is just to press against the over-center link to make sure it
stays over center. The load of a hard landing would be borne by other
structures in the assembly and would likely show damage. He suspects
a rigging problem as well. However, since the mechanics making the
inspection are the ones who performed the rigging, they have little
motivation to mention it.

Anyone have any knowledge of these mechanisms that might lend support
to one of these competing theories?