Just when it looked like the Ezekiel Elliott suspension may (finally) happen and the situation was heading towards some sort of resolution, it all got undone. Again. The Dallas Cowboys running back was granted a stay in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, which means he is eligible to play Sunday when the Cowboys take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Though the decision will allow Elliott to keep playing. this motion is temporary. And the suspension could get reinstated as early as next week. So buckle up for more twists and turns, this thing doesn’t look to be over anytime soon.
Despite the subject matter being very different, there are obvious legal parallels to Elliott’s case and that of Tom Brady v. the NFL, aka “Deflategate.” However, that case moved through the courts much more slowly and ultimately ended with Brady (and, to a lesser extent, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft) making the decision to stop appealing and accept NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s suspension.
It doesn’t appear as if Ezekiel Elliott (and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones) are willing to lay their cards down like Brady/Kraft did. Moreover, it has been Jerry Jones who has vocally opposed the suspension, and he has expressed a willingness to keep fighting, perhaps even more so than Elliott.
Jerry Jones: “We’ve got a situation that can, under certain circumstances, be interpreted as the winds are blowing.” @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/JKvv1ZN2cR
— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) November 3, 2017
On the field, Elliott has rebounded after a bit of a slow start to the season. All in all, the running back has 690 yards on 164 carries to go with six touchdowns. But after eclipsing the 100-yard mark just once in the first four weeks of the season (in Week One), Elliott has bested that mark in each of the Cowboys’ last three games. Culminating in a season-high 150 rushing yards last week against Washington.
