Ezekiel Elliott Is Eligible To Play (Again), But His 6-Game Suspension Still Threatens His Season


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The legal odyssey of Ezekiel Elliott took yet another turn Saturday afternoon when United States District Court Judge Amos L. Mazzant told the NFL and the NFLPA that he would not be lifting the injunction that is currently preventing the NFL from suspending Elliott for six games. Mazzant is waiting until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rules on Elliott’s recent petition for a rehearing.

In other words, he’s eligible to play until the ruling from the Fifth Circuit comes down. This could take multiple weeks, and the Cowboys are currently on a bye. This news comes just two days after it was announced that Elliott would begin serving his oft-delayed six-game suspension starting Week 7 after losing in appeals court.
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So this injunction may simply be delaying the inevitable, with the NFL making the case that this sets the precedent for any player who gets suspended t0 simply lawyer up and avoid the punishment. Elliott is arguing that he didn’t violate the NFL’s personal conduct policy for domestic violence allegations, as there is no evidence and he wasn’t charged with any wrongdoing in the court of law. The NFLPA is also stating that the NFL’s lead investigator “wasn’t credible” while the league responded by saying Elliott’s legal team was trying to create a “grand conspiracy” where there wasn’t one.