Report: 'Growing sense' Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott may face suspension from domestic violence investigation
Ezekiel Elliott has been drafted, played his first NFL season, taken part in the Pro Bowl and been part of his first offseason program.
And still, he hasn’t gotten word from the league as to whether or not he’ll be punished in conjunction with domestic violence allegations leveled against him by a former girlfriend in 2015. Prosecutors in Columbus, Ohio did not bring any charges against Elliott in the matter.
But he may not be out of the woods.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Friday that “there’s a growing sense” Elliott could face “some sort of short suspension here in the coming weeks at some point, once the NFL wraps up its investigation.”
Schefter said Elliott still has to respond to the NFL’s findings and the report it sent him on its investigation, and that there’s a chance the running back could miss one and possibly two games.
Elliott, Schefter added, is “bracing” for some kind of punishment.
There’s no definitive timeline given, though the Cowboys must be hoping to have this resolved within the next few weeks, in case they have to plan to play without him for the season opener against the rival New York Giants or even their second game, on the road against Denver.
Earlier this year, Elliott told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he was frustrated by the pace of the investigation.
“I do want closure,” Elliott said. “I do. I would rather them not drag it on as long. I think if there was something to find, which there’s not, they would’ve found it by now. The police did a very thorough investigation.
“I will tell you this – it just seems like they’re dragging their feet right now. Who knows, man? I just want it to end.”
The NFL is nothing if not reactive, so the stretched-out process in Elliott’s case is likely a response to the terrible investigation and weak suspension given to then-New York Giants kicker Josh Brown. The public outcry to the one-game suspension given to Brown, when there was documented evidence that he was a serial abuser of his wife, was swift and strong.
