DALLAS – Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott has been suspended for 6 games by the NFL, but after an appeals hearing, is awaiting a ruling on whether it will stand.
Back in August, the NFL suspended star Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games, concluding after a yearlong investigation that the league's leading rusher injured his former girlfriend in three separate incidents last summer.
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According to the letter Elliott received informing him of the suspension, the NFL believed he used "physical force" three times in a span of five days in a Columbus, Ohio, apartment last July resulting in injuries to Tiffany Thompson's face, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, wrists, hips and knees. She was his girlfriend at the time.
NFL: Goodell aware of dissent before suspending Elliott
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was aware that one of his lead investigators believed Ezekiel Elliott shouldn't be disciplined before the Dallas running back was suspended for six games in a domestic violence case, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said Friday.
McCarthy disputed a key claim in a lawsuit filed by the players' union on behalf of Elliott seeking to vacate an upcoming ruling on an appeal. McCarthy says Goodell knew of investigator Kia Roberts' contention that Elliott's accuser wasn't credible before deciding to suspend Elliott.
"That Kia Roberts' information was not provided to others, that's categorically false," McCarthy said. "Her views were represented. The commissioner was aware of her views, aware of many other people's views."
Elliott, the NFL's 2016 rushing leader as a rookie, was suspended after the league concluded he used physical force last summer against Tiffany Thompson, his girlfriend at the time.
Arbitrator Harold Henderson, appointed by Goodell, is expected to rule on Elliott's appeal soon. Attorneys for the 22-year-old and the players' union said in a request for a temporary restraining order filed Friday that they believe Henderson will reject the appeal.
If Henderson affirms any part of the suspension, Elliott will need U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant to grant the restraining order to be eligible for the opener Sept. 10 against the New York Giants. The first hearing is set for Tuesday in Sherman, Texas, about 65 miles north of Dallas.
Prosecutors in Columbus, Ohio, where Elliott starred for Ohio State, cited conflicting evident in not pursuing the case, but the NFL investigated for more than a year.
According to the letter Elliott received informing him of the suspension three weeks ago, the NFL believed he used "physical force" three times in a span of five days in an apartment in July 2016, resulting in injuries to Thompson's face, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, wrists, hips and knees.
Elliott denied Thompson's allegations under oath in an appeal hearing that spanned three days. The hearing ended Thursday, about 12 hours before the lawsuit was filed.
The lawsuit says the NFL's appeals process is "fundamentally unfair" because Henderson denied a request by Elliott's representatives to have Thompson testify.
The suit accuses NFL special counsel Lisa Friel of withholding information from Goodell and four experts who advised the commissioner before his ruling, and says Henderson erred in not compelling Goodell to testify at the appeal.
"Not only did the underlying facts not support the false allegations made against Mr. Elliott, but the process in which they were gathered and adjudicated were fundamentally unfair," Elliott attorney Frank Salzano said Friday.
Players’ Union Sues N.F.L. Over Ezekiel Elliott Case
The N.F.L. players’ union is suing the league on behalf of Ezekiel Elliott, seeking to vacate the upcoming ruling of an arbitrator over Elliott’s six-game suspension in a domestic violence case.
The lawsuit was filed late Thursday night in federal court in Texas. It accuses the N.F.L.’s appeal process of being “fundamentally unfair” because the arbitrator, Harold Henderson, denied attempts by Elliott’s lawyers to have his ex-girlfriend testify at a hearing that wrapped up earlier Thursday.
Henderson is supposed to rule on the league’s decision to suspend Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys’ star second-year running back, “as soon as practicable,” according to the labor agreement. But the lawsuit seeks to pre-empt Henderson’s ruling.
Elliott, the N.F.L.’s rushing leader as a rookie last season, was suspended after the league concluded he used physical force last summer in Ohio against Tiffany Thompson, his girlfriend at the time. Prosecutors did not pursue the case, citing conflicting evidence. Elliott has denied the allegations.
NFL seeks dismissal of Elliott’s challenge to 6-game ban
The NFL is asking a federal court to toss a request from Ezekiel Elliott’s legal team for a temporary restraining order that would prevent the league from enforcing a suspension of the Dallas running back over a domestic violence case.
The filing Monday night said the request on Elliott’s behalf was invalid because it was asking the court to stop a ruling from Harold Henderson before the arbitrator had even made a decision on an appeal of the six-game suspension for last year’s NFL rushing leader.
Elliott was suspended when the NFL concluded after a yearlong investigation that Elliott had several physical altercations with his girlfriend at the time last summer in Ohio. Prosecutors declined to pursue the case, citing conflicting evidence. Elliott has denied wrongdoing.
The NFL filed a response to the request for a restraining order and a motion to dismiss in federal court in Sherman, Texas, about 65 miles north of Dallas. Both filings made similar arguments, including that the NFL Players’ Association was trying “to beat the National Football League to the courthouse in a race that has not even begun.”
Follow live updates on the appeals decision for Ezekiel Elliott below:
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