Ezekiel Elliott‘s 6-game suspension by the NFL has been one of the most interesting and troubling developments of the NFL offseason. Elliott’s continued legal trouble seems to finally have caught up with him, but the defense mounted on his behalf by the NFL’s Players Association has been difficult to watch.
Keep in mind that we’re living in a world where the NFL is punishing its athletes outside of the ordinary legal system established for other US citizens, so who knows exactly what’s right here. The Cowboys and Elliott, of course, want his suspension reduced or eliminated altogether. But the paperwork the NFLPA has filed in defense of Elliott may have nullified his argument altogether.
But as TMZ reported, the NFL’s second document filed in Texas court argued that, because the NFLPA itself published many of the details of Elliott’s investigation as a way to defend the running back, the Association’s claim of “reputational harm” isn’t valid because more damage was done there than with the suspension itself.
“To the extent Elliott has suffered reputational harm, that harm is due to his own actions, including the well-publicized actions that led [the accuser] to call the Columbus Police Dept.”
The league continued, “The NFLPA’s concerns about reputational harm ring especially hollow given the avalanche of publicity the NFLPA engendered by filing the damning details of Elliott’s misconduct on a public document.”
That’s a pretty harsh statement from the league, but it’s unclear if it’s enough to keep that suspension in place. No matter what the decision is, though, it’s coming soon.
The NFLPA filing says Harold Henderson has informed the parties he'll rule on Zeke appeal by close of business today. So here we go.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 5, 2017
Looks like we’ll know one way or another very shortly.
(via BroBible)
