Who is Ezekiel Elliott?
After an all-American performance at Ohio State, Ezekiel Elliot was the first-round draft pick for the Dallas Cowboys and fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. In his debut season, the running back started in all 15 games for the cowboys. He rushed for 1,621 yards and had 15 touchdowns. At the young age of 21, Elliott led the NFL in most rushing attempts and yards; surpassing many veteran pro-bowlers, such as LeGarrette Blount, David Johnson and DeMarco Murray, this was certainly a breakout season for the athlete.
What did he do?
In July of 2016, Elliott was accused of abusing a woman several times. In reports, this woman was considered a ‘friends with benefits’, and claimed he abused her for five days in a row. Almost a year later, the running back found another way to get his names in the headlines. Allegedly, Elliott was involved in a bar fight that left one of the men with a broken nose. Although he was never formally charged with any of these accusations, he still received a six-game suspension from the NFL earlier in the month of August in regards to the domestic violence accusations. Even though he has not been arrested the NFL’s personal conduct policy allows the league to penalize anyone who appeared to engage in wrongful behavior.
Where is he now?
Since August, Elliott has appealed and prolonged his suspension up until his October 2nd hearing. Two games into the season and Elliot is 18th in the league, with 112 rushing yards.
What does this mean for the Cowboys?
Although he isn’t suspended yet, there is still a strong possibility that the NFL could win the court case, which could mean Elliott would be out as soon as week 5 begins. While, Dak Prescot can keep the Cowboys offensive line intact, they’re eventually going to need Elliott’s talents back on the field.