Ezekiel Elliott still tries to delay his six-game suspension for alleged domestic violence, but it appears that his latest attempt to do so is doomed to fail, according to NFL lawyers. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan is not going to interfere with the start of Elliott’s suspension, who should miss the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The attorneys added that NFLPA “has no likelihood of success on appeal.”
The players’ union wants the court to block the start of the suspension because as they say, Elliott’s career will be irreparably harmed in case the suspension begins in the middle of the season. On the other side, the league wants to punish the players who are involved in domestic violence, and they want to impose the discipline measures in a timely manner.
The league doesn’t want the players to serve the suspension when a player is already injured and has to be sidelined or when the team in question plays the weaker opponent. These are the things which should not be considered. US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla said that the Dallas Cowboys star should begin his suspension that was imposed in August, even before the season started. The union, of course, disagrees with this decision.
According to the NFLPA lawyers, Failla was the first judge ever to have “concluded that professional athletes with short career spans do not face irreparable harm” whereas the NFL stated that about 100 players around the league are facing suspensions for the total of 500 games.
“Elliott’s claim of irreparable injury is indistinguishable from those that could be made by 100 other players,” the league said. In case Failla’s ruling is not blocked, Elliott will return to the team in a game against Oakland Raiders with only three games left in the regular season. The Cowboys (4-3) have struggled with Elliott on the field, but what will they do without him?
