The NFL Players Association released a statement earlier on Tuesday claiming that they appealed Dallas Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliot’s six-game suspension!
The hearing has been scheduled for August 29. Because of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, this hearing will be conduct before commissioner Roger Goodell or a person selected by him.
The suspension was announced by the NFL on Friday after a 13-month long investigation.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, this appeal’s focal point will revolve around a testimony given by his former girlfriend to the NFL.
Elliot’s main argument and the point here will be the justification for his acts and what forced him to do what he did. According to this document, he will try to prove that his ex-girlfriend Tiffany Thompson threatened him by saying that she would ‘ruin his career.’ Another important part of this appeal comes in the shape of text messages exchanged between Thompson and Elliott. In these messages, Thompson allegedly encouraged a friend to lie to police about a domestic assault case in July 2016.
According to the Columbus (Ohio) City Attorney’s Office, the officials will not pursue charges against Elliott because of ‘conflicting and inconsistent information.’
On the other hand, the NFL can punish a player without legal charges.
Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner, said on Tuesday that he did not talk to Ezekiel about the situation. He also added that he didn’t ask him whether the length of suspension was upsetting to him.
In the words of Jerry Jones: ‘Again, I don’t want to even get into that area right now. Certainly we have the interest in our team and the interest in Zeke in its right place. That’s all I’ve got to say.’
Receiver Dez Bryant stated how ‘Zeke’ (Ezekiel) was still an important asset to the team by saying: ‘You can’t rule Zeke out just yet. He’s got an appeal and we’re going to wait and see about that.’ He added: ‘Zeke’s still out here practicing, still going hard. We’re still preparing (as) if we’re going with him and that’s what we’re going to do.’
