Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is once again set to serve his six-game suspension following accusations of domestic violence. The ruling comes after another judge granted Elliott a temporary restraining order on October 17 that allowed the running back to stay on the field. That TRO was set to expire October 30. On Monday night, a federal judge denied a motion for a preliminary injunction that would have blocked the NFL from imposing Elliott’s suspension. The news was first reported by Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News.
While the injunction was denied, the ruling is stayed for 24 hours, giving the NFLPA a window to file an appeal on behalf of Elliott.
Elliott was originally suspended in August for six games after a league investigation that took more than a year found “substantial and persuasive evidence supporting a finding that [Elliott] engaged in physical violence against Ms. [Tiffany] Thompson on multiple occasions during the week of July 16, 2016,” according to Todd Jones, the NFL’s special counsel for conduct, in a letter written to Elliott.
Elliott and the NFLPA have fought the suspension in a back-and-forth legal saga that has seen the NFL collective bargaining agreement scrutinized by six different judges spanning from eastern Texas to New Orleans to Manhattan. Monday’s ruling, which came from the Southern District of New York, comes from the same jurisdiction where the NFL won their Deflategate saga against Tom Brady.
The Cowboys’ next six games are against the Chiefs, Falcons, Eagles, Chargers, Redskins, and Giants. Their backup running backs include Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris, and Rod Smith. Unless Elliott and the NFLPA take further legal action, the running back will be able to return December 17 against Oakland.
