Dallas Cowboys Running Back Ezekiel Elliott Appeals Six-Game Suspension
Ezekiel Elliott has filed an official appeal against the National Football League (NFL) for the six-game suspension the league handed down last week.
The NFL Players Association made the announcement on Tuesday, and ESPN has reported that the hearing will be held before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell or a person designated by him on Aug. 29.
According to NFL.com, a portion of the running back's appeal will focus on the credibility (or lack thereof) of his ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Thompson, and his legal team will attempt to show that the league did not accurately weigh that factor when they made their decision to suspend him.
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"Elliott's appeal game plan includes highlighting Thompson's already chronicled text messages encouraging a friend to lie to police about an alleged domestic assault on July 22, misleading testimony to NFL lead investigator Lisa Friel, and repeated threats to ruin his career after breaking off the relationship," Clarence E. Hill Jr. wrote in his report for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Elliott was neither arrested or charged with domestic violence because prosecutors decided not to press charges due to conflicting statements made by Thompson and the witnesses. However, the NFL decided to suspend him anyway for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
It will be interesting to see if he can convince the NFL to overturn or reduce the suspension. If the NFL refuses to lessen the punishment, Elliott may file a federal lawsuit against the league.
Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott continues to believe that the team is going to do well next season even if Elliott misses the first six games because Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris are capable of carrying the load in his absence.
"Those guys have had a lot of success in this league for a long time, so it's just an opportunity for them to come in and get more reps in his time off," Prescott said, via ProFootballTalk.
