Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott suspension begins (again)

The Dallas Cowboys will once again be looking at life without Ezekiel Elliott. The situation is still very cloudy however here are the new details.

The Dallas Cowboys have finally gotten an answer as too when their star running back Ezekiel Elliott will be suspended, in 24 hours. According to NFL.com, Monday’s hearing regarding Ezekiel Elliott/NFLPA’s preliminary injunction has come and gone and Elliott and the NFLPA are on the losing side.

U.S. District Judge, Katherine Polk Failla denied Elliott’s request for a preliminary injunction. However, She did grant a stay for her decision as Elliott/NFLPA and the league will have 24 hours to possibly consider other options.

The NFL and Elliott have reportedly been negotiating a solution (most likely a lesser penalty). This seems unlikely especially if the NFL feels as if they will win anyway, but this whole situation may still be far from over.

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Another thing impacting negotiations could be the state that the NFL and the NFLPA are currently in as both are at odds with one another. A lockout is expected during the next CBA negotiations and both the NFL and the union are looking to be viewed as strong as possible.

Elliott and the NFLPA can file an emergency appeal to Judge, Failla’s decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit. There are several outcomes that could happen if this were to occur.

(A). Elliott could continue to serve a suspension while he waits for a decision from the court.

(B). The suspension is upheld and the request for an emergency appeal is denied.

(C). Elliott gets another win in court and seeks a stay that would allow him to be on the field while the appeals process continues.

Let’s not forget this is the same court that granted the NFLPA/Elliott’s request for a temporary restraining order so there is a possibility that this scenario could play out all over again.

Judge, Amos Mazzano stated that the NFL’s investigation and disciplinary process were hindered by “fundamental unfairness”. This shows that not all Judges believe that the NFL is in the right here and if Zeke is granted a temporary restraining order again, the NFL may also be more inclined to negotiate.

Currently, Elliott/NFLPA are looking into all possible legal options as the former first-round pick seeks to clear his name and continue his playing career.  As far as the Dallas Cowboys go, if Elliott’s suspension were to go into effect he would miss games against the following teams: Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Redskins, New York Giants.

If we are looking at the situation objectively and Elliott absolutely has to miss time, Dallas has already gotten what they wanted. They currently hold wins over the New York Giants and Washington Redskins so the worst position they could be in is to split wins with both of those divisional foes.

Next: Dallas Cowboys matchup preview for Week Eight

The game against Washington was critical as the Redskins would be banged up and Elliott’s services made that matchup a lot easier to handle. The Cowboys close out the season against the Eagles so that game could very well decide their playoff fate.

While this situation is far from over and Zeke could end up on the field during Week Nine, the Dallas Cowboys could not have had this suspension take place at a better time.