Though it hasn’t received a lot of media attention, there is movement concerning the legal appeal of the NFL’s six-game suspension of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Oral arguments took place on Monday at the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The NFL is seeking an emergency stay of a ruling that has allowed Elliott to play while his appeal works its way through the courts.
No decision was announced following the hearing, though one of the judges on the three-judge panel said the ruling would come as soon as possible.
Could Elliott be ruled out of the game against the Green Bay Packers? If the pending ruling goes against Elliott, can Elliott keep playing by filing a further appeal?
I’m not sure, but I’m quite sure that litigation such as this is not good for the game.
The injection of obstructive litigation into pro football reached its most repugnant heights a little more than a year ago, when New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, quarterback Tom Brady, and the players’ union (NFLPA) decided to throw their influence, gobs of money, and legions of lawyers up against the league, in an effort to thwart the NFL from enforcing a four-game suspension against the sainted New England QB.
So the Elliott matter is déjà vu. We have a pampered superstar, a very wealthy and powerful owner, and once again a players’ union that sides with the players even when it serves to damage the reputation of the sport. Power-wielding owners Kraft and Jerry Jones seem to think the rules that apply to the rest of us shouldn’t apply to their teams.
It might be that the Cowboys are actually hurting their chances of success this year with their legal maneuvers.
Because the Elliott factions chose to not get this suspension behind them, it’s likely that Elliott’s suspension will occur when teams are making their mid- to late-season push to get an attractive placing in the postseason.
Elliott could even conceivably be suspended from playing in postseason games. If that were to happen, maybe Jerry Jones would learn a lesson from all this. It’s doubtful, however, that Ezekiel Elliott will learn any lesson.
At the least, we fans can add Elliott to the list of NFL abusers, like Adrian Peterson, who deserve only to be booed for the rest of their sports careers.
7 Comments
I don’t know much about Elliott or if he is innocent, guilty, or maybe a victim of false accusations.
I do know that the league’s leadership team has no clue about how to handle this, Ray Rice, Tom Brady, concussions, or just about anything.
Too many bad decisions are killing the league.
He’s guilty. There were pictures of her injuries, and accdording to her initial statements it wasnt the first time he had ‘whooped’ her ass. He was never charged because she later decided (hmm i wonder why) she would not testify against him in court. So no witness, and a man that can hire the best lawyers available caused the DA to not press any charges. The guy is another moron who got through school on his football skills.
There is also mobile phone “text” evidence that she was going to try and blackmail him so she could get breast augmentation and go on a vacation with a friend. The allegations have no substantial evidence other than a few bruises on her hands and neck where she allegedly received during a bar fight. It’s a he said she said situation. Should someone be punished simply for allegations?
Nice piece Rob…
Yea, as long as DeMaurice Smith is running the NFLPA, a courtroom will be in the NFL’s future. What’s astonishing, is after he failed miserably in the last CBA negotiation, i believe the players voted him to a new contract.
Sure why not. Black people continue to re-elect democratic politicians who have done nothing in most cases except make their plight even worse. Its called drinking the coolaid.
Wow. This is another example of half asses journalism. I’m not excuse bad behavior nor singing this young man’s innocence. But I ask you this question. If you were accused of a crime you didn’t commit, law enforcement dropped the case, multiple witnesses documented in a police report reported the “victim” screaming “I’m a white girl and you’re a black athlete, I’m going to ruin your career and who do they think they’ll believe” and the NFL Blocked supporting testimony and documentation to exaunerate you. Would you fight it and clear your name? I think we all know the answer… you formulated an opinion of this young man at the end of your article that proves exactly why he SHOULD fight this, the scarlet letter will be there for him unless he wins this appeal. And that’s very sad if the evidence and lack of credibility of the accuser is as strong as it seems.
We (fans) have no clue how strong or weak the evidence is. The NFL hires it’s investigators, they their time, spend probably way too much money doing so. Investigates police reports, talks to witnesses, family, friends, looks at history between these two, checking cells phones, etc. We get tidbits of sensationalized media info. At some point you have to trust the NFL to do their due diligence and come to an intelligent conclusion. There is more to it than he said/she said.
We don’t know shit about, guilt or not. But what we do know, over time Elliott makes himself look like an ass, so should he be given the benefit of the doubt? Or should the NFL investigate so this guy’s actions don’t damage their business. This isn’t rocket science.
Don’t like how the NFL runs it’s business? That cool too, just don’t judge a situation you aren’t privy to 1/100th of the information you would need to have an educated opinion.
I don’t like some things also, like who is presiding as President at a given time. But i don’t whine, cry and obsess over it for months or years.