The saga of Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension for alleged incidents of domestic violence took another turn on Friday when Elliott's request for a brief administrative stay was granted, which means Elliott is -- once again -- eligible to play. A little later on Friday, Elliott returned to the Cowboys' facility to prepare for their upcoming game against the Chiefs on Sunday. He also spoke to reporters about the ongoing legal battle.
If you're wondering if Elliott has ever considered accepting his suspension and moving on, the answer is a resounding "No." He said he has never considered accepting his suspension because "it's bigger than football."
"This is bigger than a suspension," he said, per the Dallas Morning News. "It's bigger than football, them [NFL] trying to make me something I'm not.
"I'm not an abuser. That's not who I am. This is my name and this is my reputation. This is something I'm going to have to live with beyond football. Every day is worth fighting."
Elliott was suspended in August for allegedly assaulting Tiffany Thompson in July 2016. In a statement explaining the suspension, the league wrote that there was "substantial and persuasive evidence supporting a finding that [Elliott] engaged in physical violence against Ms. Thompson on multiple occasions during the week of July 16, 2016."
Why 6 games for Ezekiel Elliott? NFL investigators say he "caused injuries" to his ex-girlfriend 3 times in 5 days https://t.co/gOAGW4dmWj pic.twitter.com/n465tU95LO
— John Breech (@johnbreech) August 11, 2017
Elliott appealed his suspension. During the appeal, NFL lead investigator Kia Roberts, who was the only NFL employee to speak to Thompson during the investigation, testified that she recommended that Elliott not be suspended, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Elliott's suspension ended up being upheld.
And then the court battle began. Before the season, he was granted a preliminary injunction, which allowed him to play in the Cowboys' first five games of the season. But the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals then vacated Elliott's preliminary injunction. In response, Elliott filed another request for a temporary restraining order, which was granted and allowed him to play in the past two games. On Monday night, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla denied Elliott's request for a preliminary injunction. But on Friday, the NFLPA's request for a brief administrative stay was granted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
That doesn't mean he's eligible to play for the remainder of the season. As my colleague Jared Dubin explained:
It is important to note that what was granted by the court was Elliott's request for a brief administrative stay (as opposed to the actual injunction or a ruling in Elliott's favor wiping out the suspension entirely), which means that for now, he is only eligible to play this Sunday. A determination on whether he will be eligible to play during the next stage of his appeal will not be made until the court rules on his request for an injunction, which will likely happen next week.
If you're feeling a bit lost, here's a shorter summary:
8/11 - suspended
— Phil Murphy (@Phil_Sports) November 3, 2017
9/8 - preliminary injunction
10/12 - injunction lifted
10/17 - TRO
Mon - prelim injunction denied
Fri - administrative stay
Last year, Elliott lead the league in rushing with 1,631 yards. Through seven games this year, he's rushed for 690 yards and six touchdowns.