Getty Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell
Ezekiel Elliott met with the NFL on Tuesday, speaking with commissioner Roger Goodell about an incident this offseason in Las Vegas at a music festival.
The Dallas Cowboys star running back spoke with Goodell in New York for the second time in a little over two years for his off-field issues. The latest was with a security guard at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. The incident saw increased spotlight after video was published on TMZ of the running back’s interaction with Kyle Johnson, the 19-year-old security guard.
In the video, Elliott is seen arguing with a woman. Later in the clip, Johnson confronts the Cowboys running back, who gets in his face.
“You got something to say,” Elliott can be heard saying.
He then appears to make contact with the man with his forearm, pushing him back into a barrier. Elliott was briefly detained but never arrested and Johnson decided not to press charges at the time of the incident.
Elliott issued a statement following the meeting via Twitter:
“Earlier today, I met with the Commissioner to share with him what occurred in Las Vegas and what I have learned from that incident.
I’ve worked hard to make better decisions and to live up to the high standards that are expected of me.
I failed to do that here and I made a poor decision.
I apologized to Kyle Johnson at the time and I meant it.
I need to work harder to ensure I do not put myself in compromised situations in the future. I am rededicating myself to use all of the resources that the league has made available. But in the end, it is up to me and I am determined not to be in this position again.
-Zeke.”
This is not the first time Elliott is in the spotlight for his behavior away from the field. In the past, it has led to suspensions, investigations and scrutiny from those around him.
Most notably, Elliott was served a six-game suspension in 2017 after a long legal battle against the NFL against allegations of domestic abuse. Elliott was never arrested or charged, but spent time on the sideline.
Here is some of what we can gather following Tuesday’s meeting.
GettyJerry Jones gave and Ezekiel Elliott.
There are Split Feelings About Ezekiel Elliott’s Possible Suspension
What Elliott did was not great, but not egregious either. There are other cases going on around the NFL that should require stiffer punishment, but Zeke has made himself vulnerable to the league’s personal conduct policy by being a repeat offender.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, as a repeat offender, there’s more of a likelihood Zeke gets a suspension.
The personal conduct policy reads: “Repeat offenders will be subject to enhanced and/or expedited discipline, including banishment from the league with an opportunity to reapply.”
However, Jane Slater of NFL Network reported on Twitter Tuesday evening that there is “confidence” that the Cowboys star running back will avoid a suspension.
“A source with knowledge of the situation tells me they’re confident there won’t be a suspension for Ezekiel Elliott. I’m told the Las Vegas police department removed Zeke from situation to protect him but found no merit to victim’s claim.”
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo doesn’t see a suspension being handed down either.
“Nothing from the NFL yet following that tweeted statement by Ezekiel Elliott just now. We await Roger Goodell’s decision on the matter. Educated hunch is there won’t be a suspension here.”
Mike Fisher, a Dallas Cowboy’s insider with 247 Sports, suspects there will be a short ban.
“I smell a short suspension,” he wrote on Twitter.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been on the record saying he doesn’t see anything coming of the incident, telling reporters, “I don’t see that having any consequences for us.”
GettyDallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
The Timeline for an Ezekiel Elliott Suspension is Uncertain
The NFL works in mysterious ways, and there’s no way to know when Goodell and his people will decide if Elliott’s actions warrant a suspension or not.
Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill met with the NFL on June 24 regarding recent child abuse allegations, but still hasn’t learned his fate.
The last time around, it took more than a year from the time Elliott was accused of domestic violence to the league delivering a six-game suspension. The running back met with the NFL in October of 2016 and he was handed a suspension in August of 2017. That was prolonged by a long appeal process before Elliott eventually served the suspension.
The dangerous line for Elliott in the NFL’s personal conduct policy is the following.
“In cases where a player is not charged with a crime, or is charged but not convicted, he may still be found to have violated the policy if the credible evidence establishes that he engaged in conduct prohibited by this personal conduct policy.”
Right now, it will be a wait and see approach for Elliott and the Cowboys.
Ezekiel Elliott. (Getty Images)
Elliott Maintains His Apology to Kyle Johnson was Legit
Johnson, a 19-year-old who plays football at a California community college, decided not to press charges at the time of the incident, but recently came out and told KCBS-TV in Los Angeles he wanted a sincere apology from Elliott.
“I wasn’t hurt or anything, but just to have someone that you looked up to shove you on the ground over a metal fence?” Johnson said. “It’s not the biggest thing in the world, but really, nothing happened? I mean, come on. . . .
“I did get an apology from him. It wasn’t a sincere apology. He didn’t maintain eye contact. It didn’t seem sincere at all.”
Elliott seems to make clear in his statement that he feels the apology he gave Johnson previously was enough, saying he “meant it” in his statement.