Adjust your fantasy football rosters and fire off those angry tweets, because the complete miscarriage of justice aimed at destroying Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott’s reputation is back on. Just a few moments ago (Thursday afternoon if you’re reading this late), the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied Elliott and the NFLPA’s emergency injunction pending appeal.
That means Elliott will still get the chance to officially clear his name in court, but not before sitting out his six game suspension handed out by professional coward Roger Goodell and the NFL league office.
There doesn’t appear to be any other moves for Elliott to make at this point. In case you’ve missed out on the reporting on this story or just assume Elliott is guilty because most of the time professional athletes are, here’s my original article with links and details that show, beyond a shadow of any real doubt, that Elliott is innocent of the domestic violence claims brought against him. It’s why the district attorney and police in Ohio didn’t pursue charges against him in the first place. It’s complete bullshit.
Indeed, Elliott is not only the victim of a completely false claim, but of Goodell and the NFL’s utter mishandling of the Ray Rice suspension a few years ago.
Elliott’s alleged victim, Tiffany Thompson, reportedly told him when she decided to accuse him of attacking her, “You are a black male athlete. I’m a white girl. They are not going to believe you.”
Considering the hell Elliott has been through since, it’s hard to argue with her. When all this is over, Elliott should sue Goodell and the league’s asses off.
“This is bigger than a suspension, this is bigger than football,” Elliott told the NFL Network last week. “It’s them trying to make (me) something that I’m not. I’m not an abuser, that’s not who I am. This is my name, this is my reputation, something that I’ll have to live with beyond football. So every day is worth fighting.”
In the meantime, until mid December, the Cowboys will lose Elliott and a huge part of their offense. This season he’s rushed 191 times for 783 yards and a league leading seven touchdowns. He’s averaged 4.1 yards per carry and caught 19 passes for 210 yards and two scores.
Elliott’s primary duties with the offense will fall to back up Alfred Morris. Darren McFadden and Rod Smith should also see their share of touches. Morris has 14 carries for 116 yards and one reception for nine yards this season.
Regardless, while Elliott will be up on blocks for the next month and a half, this case isn’t over. He’s vowed to keep fighting and the NFLPA is backing him, as well as the Cowboys and team owner Jerry Jones. Considering that Jones is leading a group of NFL owners trying to keep Goodell from getting a contract extension, this whole case will have huge ramifications for the league.
Most importantly, it will hang over the 2021 collective bargaining negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA. With a punishment levied against an obviously innocent player, the NFLPA will fight hard to keep this kind of power out of the commissioner’s office on the next deal. The league’s authority will be diminished and all for trying to screw one of its biggest young stars, accusing him of a crime he didn’t commit.
It’s like the A-Team, only dumber.
Other NFL News
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green won’t attempt to get his $42,000 fine for an in-game fight with Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey thrown out. Green announced through the Bengals website that he “made a mistake and must pay the price.” Green and Ramsey were both ejected after the scuffle. Jacksonville won the game 23-7.
The Indianapolis Colts cut cornerback Vontae Davis Thursday morning. Davis has been dealing with a groin injury all season and will use the time off to have season ending surgery to repair it.
Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas has been officially ruled out for Thursday nights game against the Arizona Cardinals.
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