In New York on Monday, a judge will determine if star running back Ezekiel Elliott will be allowed to play football for the Cowboys this season under a preliminary injunction. Elliott was suspended six games in August for alleged incidents of domestic violence, but has been allowed to play to this point. On Sunday night, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones mounted one more public defense of Elliott.
Shortly after their win over the Redskins, Jones defended Elliott by saying he hasn't done anything wrong "by any standard in this country."
"Zeke has in no way, by any standard in this country, done anything wrong," Jones said, per the Dallas Morning News' Brandon George. "He's done nothing wrong. The league has tried to say that he's done something that we disagree with. We all don't agree with that. I want him to get a fair shot and he deserves that."
Elliott will attend Monday's hearing, according to the Morning News' David Moore. On Sunday, Elliott expressed confidence that he'll be able to play the remainder of the season.
On his legal hearing tomorrow at #SDNY, Zeke Elliott says he's confident in his argument and that he'll play the rest of the year. pic.twitter.com/kyjquUL5tu
— Joe Trahan (@JoeTrahan) October 30, 2017
Elliott was initially suspended in August for repeated incidents of domestic violence -- unrelated, he was also caught pulling down a woman's top in public. He appealed, but his suspension was upheld by the designated arbitrator. Elliott, though, was allowed to play in Week 1 when he won a preliminary injunction. At the time, it seemed like he'd be able to play the entire season while the matter was sorted out in court. But the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals vacated Elliott's preliminary injunction on Oct. 12.
In response, Elliott filed another request for a temporary restraining order, which was granted on Oct. 17. That TRO allowed Elliott to play in the Cowboys' past two games.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla will determine if Elliott gets his preliminary injunction, which would let Elliott suit up for Dallas the rest of this season. But if Elliott's suspension is enforced this week, he will miss games against the Chiefs, Falcons, Eagles, Chargers, Redskins, and Giants. He'd be eligible to return on Dec. 17 for the Cowboys' Week 15 game against the Raiders.
As a rookie last season, Elliott led the league in rushing, and he's off to another blistering start this year. In seven games, he's rushed for 690 yards and six touchdowns, adding 210 yards and two scores through the air. At 4-3, the Cowboys trail the 7-1 Eagles in the NFC East, but they're still in the thick of the playoff hunt.
