default-cbs-image

By now you've probably heard that Ezekiel Elliott became the first person in tackle-football history to loaf on a play. The finger-waggers were at their finger-waggiest after Elliott couldn't be bothered to tackle Broncos cornerback Chris Harris following a Dak Prescott interception.

Hall of Fame running back LaDainain Tomlinson went so far as to accuse Elliott of quitting during a game in which he managed just eight yards on nine carries. And another Hall of Famer, Deion Sanders, had his own concerns, though TheMMQB.com's Robert Klemko made a decent point here:

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones defended Elliott while coach Jason Garrett did call out the second-year running back for his lackadaisical effort. 

And now you'll be happy to learn that, through it all, Elliott has learned a valuable life lesson.

"I would say I was just very frustrated, but that's no excuse for the lack of effort I showed on tape," Elliott said on Thursday, via PFT, in his first comments on the matter. "I just can't do that. Being one of the leaders on the team and being a guy that people count on, I can't put that type of stuff on film."

Elliott characterized his decision to walk after Harris' interception "just bad effort," adding, "It's definitely not me. It's definitely not the type of player I am. It's definitely not who I am for this team. I just can't do that. I was frustrated, and I wasn't myself."

Elliott, who has lost just five times in 19 NFL games, is accustomed to winning. Browns All Pro left tackle Joe Thomas thinks this may be part of the issue; Elliott needs to learn how to lose.

"[T]he problem when you're a young player, and some people will take this the wrong way, but you have to learn how to lose," Thomas said Tuesday during an appearance on PFT Live. "Because in college a lot of times these guys come from programs where they didn't lose a lot, and so as soon as things are going poorly it's easy for those guys to just throw in the towel, and I think we saw that with Ezekiel."

It's been a tough stretch for Elliott, who could still face a six-game suspension this season if the league has its way. In the meantime, no one's going to feel sorry for the Cowboys, who will play in Arizona next Monday night.