Getty Ezekiel Elliott and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pose after he was selected to the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-game suspension has been upheld. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen first reported Tuesday that arbitrator Harold Henderson ruled in favor of the NFL in regard to the suspension that Elliott had appealed.
Ezekiel Elliott 6 game suspension has been upheld by Harold Henderson, per source
No question, Elliott’s legal reps and NFLPA will vigorously continue the fight beyond tonight.
While Henderson was set to rule on the appeal, Elliott went before Judge Amos L. Mazzant at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on Tuesday. The hearing was in regard to a motion that was filed by the NFLPA for a temporary restraining order to be imposed against the running back’s six-game suspension.
The NFL had suspended Elliott on August 11 for six games after an internal investigation into domestic abuse allegations. He appealed it five days later and went in front of Henderson in late August to plead his case.
Elliott’s attorneys released a statement after the Tuesday’s ruling, saying they were “extremely disappointed” with it because the evidence “clearly demonstrated that Mr. Elliott was the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by the National Football League and its officers.”
Statement from Ezekiel Elliott’s attorneys:
Statement from Ezekiel Elliott’s attorneys:
Read below for the order granting Elliott’s temporary restraining order:
The good news for Elliott in the case is that the NFL said that he will be able to play Week 1, though his suspension will be determined by the federal court ruling.
Just got out of court and got phone back. NFL took position Ezekiel Elliott CAN play Sunday. Judge rules by 5 pm Friday on restraining order
According to court documents, an official decision on the temporary restraining order is expected to come by 6 p.m. Eastern on Friday. If it’s stayed, Elliott could play this season. If not, he would sit Weeks 2-7.
Read the full minutes from the court hearing below, with a note at 7:18 p.m. saying the suspension had been upheld.
After the appeal, the NFLPA and their lawyers filed a petition in federal court to block a ruling against his appeal, accusing the NFL of having a “conspiracy” against him, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported.
Elliott had his appeal before Henderson on August 29, though it was noted that several witnesses and documents were not able to be presented. He and his lawyers said it was “unfair to deny” Elliott of the case’s essential witnesses and documents at the hearing.
“Instead, the NFL principally and predictably tells the court it is powerless to act,” the motion says.
Read the NFLPA’s response to the NFL’s motion in the document below:
On September 4, USA Today‘s A.J. Perez reported that the NFL filed a motion to dismiss the case from district court because they said Elliott didn’t “have the legal standing to challenge in federal court a six-game suspension over domestic assault allegations.”
Even with the latest developments in the case, there’s a chance Elliott could play this season if the temporary restraining order is upheld.
The domestic abuse allegations against Elliott come from a woman who describes herself as his ex-girlfriend. She brought forth photos that show brusied on her knee, arms and neck and accused Elliott abused her for months.
“It finally got out of control to where I was picked up and thrown across the room by my arms. Thrown into walls. Being choked to where I have to gasp for breath. Bruised everywhere, mentally and physically abused,” she said in a caption of the photos.
As told in a press release from the city of Columbus, charges would not be pressed on Elliott for the five alleged incidents.
“This is primarily due to conflicting and inconsistent information across all incidents resulting in concern regarding the sufficiency of the evidence to support the filing of criminal charges,” the press release said.
Last year, during Elliott’s rookie season, he led the NFL in rushing with 1,631 yards and scored 16 touchdowns.
