The Cowboys are facing the Arizona Cardinals on Monday and Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott may not be on the field. But this is yet to be decided. The 5th Circuit US Court of Appeals which handles Texas district courts, even though it is based in New Orleans, still hasn’t ruled on the NFL’s motion for an emergency stay of the temporary injunction of Elliott’s six-game suspension.
The NFL pleaded the 5th Circuit to either decide by 10 a.m. September 19 or by September 26 so that the Elliott would finally serve the suspension he received for violating league’s personal conduct policy. In the meantime, while Elliott watches Dallas games from the sideline, the case should make its way through the court system.
NFL vice-president Joe Lockhart said: “We have not had an indication whether it will be an individual or a panel. We have some discretion on that and the commissioner will make a decision on eligibility based on when we get something from the court of appeals. I don’t want to speculate and create any false deadlines. We’ll know when we know.”
In case the stay is denied, we have good news for the Cowboys fans – Ezekiel Elliott will most likely play through the entire season. According to a source, he should be available for the game against the Cardinals in Week 3. On the other hand, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy declared that Elliott’s status is not determined yet and we should wait for a ruling to be made.
The source added that the league usually makes roster moves final for the week as early as Tuesday for various reasons with the most important being competitiveness between teams. NFL has always followed this practice, and this shouldn’t change now. However, there is a slight possibility that NFL will decide on whether Elliott would play in the next game on Friday, just three days before the face-off.
Ezekiel Elliott struggled against the Denver Broncos in a 42-17 loss last week. He had career-worst nine carries for a total of eight yards. What was concerning was his lack of effort after an interception, but hopefully, Zeke will be able to redeem himself in a game against Arizona. Follow us for more details.
