It looks like Ezekiel Elliott will be serving all 6-games of his suspension. On Tuesday, the NFL announced that they’ve decided to uphold Zeke’s initial 6 game ruling following an arbitration hearing at the league's NYC headquarters.
NFL-appointed arbitrator, Harold Henderson, handed down the verdict after hearing Elliott's case from a team led by Jeffrey Kessler, the same lawyer who's represented the NFLPA on the DeflateGate.
Zeke apparently also gave his side of the story while under oath according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Zeke's legal team says, "We are extremely disappointed with Mr. Henderson's inability to navigate through league politics, and follow the evidence and, most importantly, his conscience." Next step is federal court, where Cowboys star will ask a judge to reduce his suspension.
As his reps put it ... Zeke "is looking forward to having his day in federal court where the playing field will be level and the NFL will have to answer for its unfair and unjust practices."
If you’re unfamiliar still to what’s going on, the league suspended Elliott last month after finding "substantial evidence" that he engaged in physical violence against his then-girlfriend Tiffany Thompson, a claim the Cowboys superstar has adamantly denied.
The Dallas Cowboys were hoping that they would get Elliott back earlier in the season, but now it looks like they will have to plan the first six weeks without their star running back. Darren McFadden, Rod Smith and Alfred Morris will pick up the slack for the first half of the Cowboys season, with Ezekiel not being able to return to the team until AFTER their bye week on Week 7, when the Cowboys play the San Francisco 49ers week 8.
Update: It turns out that even though Zeke's suspension was upheld, the Cowboys running back will be available week 1. An NFL spokesman told ESPN's Dan Graziano that Elliott's ability to play in Week 1 "was a question asked by the judge in court before a ruling came down. In deference, and as to not rush the judge, league attorneys agreed to permit him to play." So it looks like he WILL be in the lineup this Sunday.
