The owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, refused to comment on Elliott’s six-game suspension which he earned for violating the personal conduct policy. His appeal hearing is set for Tuesday in New York. Jones will not be at the hearing, but the team’s legal counsel will be there to support the popular running back.
Elliott played against the Oakland Raiders on Saturday, and this was his first preseason game for the Cowboys. He has been excused from practice Monday and Tuesday so that he could fly to New York and attend the hearing. Elliott still claims that he is falsely accused of domestic violence, while Jones is furious because NFL had promised that they wouldn’t discipline Elliott due to the lack of evidence, but the punishment came anyway.
“Well, I don’t want to speculate about that at all,” Jones said of the appeal hearing. “I wouldn’t do ‘a what if’ on that. I’m afraid it would have some kind of meaning and I’ve been reluctant to comment anyway.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appointed Harold Henderson to hear the appeal. In 2015 Henderson had the similar task, and he reduced the domestic violence suspension for former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy from 10 games to only four. New Orleans Saints running back Adrian Peterson faced the same accusations when he was a member of the Minnesota Vikings, and Henderson upheld the suspension.
Jones was asked whether Henderson would be neutral on the case to give Elliott hope, but he avoided the answer: “Harold is a really great friend of mine,” Jones said. “He was at my (Hall of Fame) party and so you weren’t at that party unless you were a good friend I promise you that.”
Is that a ‘yes’?
“I don’t know,” Jones joked. “But he is a friend, and of course that’s the way it would be. He managed the management council for maybe 15 years I served on it. He’s very competent, but the main thing is he’s a guy that I admire a lot. A former policeman, former attorney. He’s come through it the hard way. Literally,” he continued on a more serious note.
Even though Elliott played only ten snaps against the Raiders, Jones loved what he saw from him. Perhaps that has been his last game for the Cowboys, and we will only see Zeke after the six-game suspension. The Dallas Cowboys are facing the Houston Texans on Thursday and starters will sit this one out. Against Oakland, Elliott had six carries for 18 yards, and he caught two passes for six yards.
Jones declared: “I thought he was just very impressive.” He’s worked hard. He’s practiced and in the classroom as well as on the field as though he were going to take every snap this year. So, I thought he played to form. That’s an impressive group he’s playing against. I have a lot of respect for them. I thought it was good and I’m glad we got that kind of work in for him. I was beginning to wonder if they were going to give him 30 there for a minute.”
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett praised Elliott’s game and the work he puts in every day on the practice field. According to Garrett, Elliott should be back right after the hearing. He added that the team has prepared as if Elliott was to play the first regular season game.
“That’s the way we have prepared our team,” Garrett said. “He has done a really good job in practice getting ready for Week One. The other guys have gotten a lot of opportunities as well. Obviously, they have gotten a lot more in the preseason games, they have worked with the ones, but we’ve tried to get him ready to play in Week One, understanding the appeal process will get underway.”
Darren McFadden will start instead of Ezekiel Elliott, while Alfred Morris and Rod Smith will be backup running backs.
