Ezekiel Elliott will pay the price for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The Dallas Cowboys running back will miss the first six games of the regular season after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell concluded an investigation into Elliott’s off the field activities.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Elliott will face a lengthy suspension from the NFL stemming from a year-long domestic violence investigation.
The suspension comes as a result of an investigation that started more than a year ago after an ex-girlfriend accused Elliott of domestic violence in Columbus, Ohio. The Columbus City Attorney’s office announced in September that it would not pursue charges against Elliott because of “conflicting and inconsistent information,” but the NFL can penalize a player even without legal charges.
Elliott is expected to appeal the suspension, league sources told Schefter.
Twitter, of course, was ready with the Crying Jordan photoshops.
https://twitter.com/jaredstill/status/896040567771201537
A suspension of that length, though, makes you wonder just what the NFL investigation uncovered. Was it the long list of incidents ranging from inappropriate to illegial, or did Elliot do something very significant to cause the lengthy suspension? According to ESPN, it’s a little bit of both.
The NFL believes it has investigated Elliott’s case thoughtfully, thoroughly and extensively and that Elliott violated the personal conduct policy. The league went through text messages and retained medical and legal experts to help commissioner Roger Goodell make his decision.
Before disciplining Elliott, the NFL considered the domestic violence allegations from February and July 2016, as well as the St. Patrick’s Day incident in which he pulled down a woman’s shirt, though that did not factor into the league’s decision on discipline.
Also, before the team left for training camp, Elliott was allegedly involved in an incident at a Dallas bar that left a man with a nose injury. Dallas police have suspended the investigation because they could not contact the victim and no witnesses came forward.
The NFL released its full letter to Elliott regarding his suspension shortly after the news broke on Friday.
Here is the full letter from @NFL to #Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott. Read it all. https://t.co/RSivUw5GSu
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 11, 2017
Elliott had a remarkable rookie season for the Cowboys, but the allegations of his domestic incidents loomed large over the entire season. Now it’s clear that there was indeed fire hiding behind all that smoke. And, indeed, his St. Patrick’s Day incident wasn’t exactly welcomed by the league either.
Even Michael Irvin said Elliott needs to learn how to control himself, which is saying something. The suspension is likely to get reduced if he appeals, but the time he serves off the field is a clear message from the NFL: stay out of further trouble.
