Ezekiel Elliott Eligible To Play In Week 8 After Judge Denies NFL’s Request
Ezekiel Elliott’s season will live to see another Sunday.
Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the U.S. District Court in New York rejected the NFL’s request Sunday for an expedited hearing on Elliott’s preliminary injunction of his six-game suspension.
In English: Elliott’s hearing still will be held Oct. 30 as originally scheduled, meaning the Dallas Cowboys running back will be eligible to play in the team’s Week 8 game against the Washington Redskins next Sunday.
Elliott and the NFL have gone back and forth in a lengthy legal battle over his six-game suspension for domestic violence. A court ruled to reinstate Elliott’s suspension on Oct. 12, meaning he’ll likely serve it at some point this season, but the running back was granted a temporary restraining order last Tuesday that allowed him to suit up this weekend.
The Cowboys (and fantasy owners) were glad he did, as Elliott rumbled for a season-high 147 rushing yards and recorded three total touchdowns in Dallas’ blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers.
There’s a downside to delaying his suspension, though: If Elliott’s suspension officially is enacted at his Oct. 30 hearing, he wouldn’t be eligible to return until Week 15. The 3-3 ‘Boys are expected to turn to Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris in Elliott’s absence.
Thumbnail photo via Sergio Estrada/USA TODAY Sports Images
