The NFL’s investigation into Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott could be winding down. The NFL Players Association recently turned over phone records and other documents that league investigators have been seeking in their probe of domestic violence allegations against the running back, Tom Pelissero of USA Today writes.
The NFL was asking for Elliott’s phone records for a while, but the running back’s camp was reluctant to turn those over and the union was also putting up a battle for fear of setting a bad precedent. As Pelissero notes, phone records also became an issue in the Tom Brady Deflategate case. Ultimately, Brady’s unwillingness to fully cooperate with the investigation led to him being served with a controversial four-game suspension.
Last year, a woman accused Elliott of abusing her on two separate occasions in 2016. However, the 21-year-old was never arrested nor charged for either supposed incident. In one case, a key witness says Elliott’s accuser told her to lie to police about a separate incident. From a legal standpoint, there’s little evidence to pin Elliott for wrongdoing, but the NFL requires much less proof to dole out a suspension or fine. The league is also feeling increased pressure to come down hard on domestic violence cases in the wake of the Ray Rice fiasco.
The NFL opened its investigation in July, meaning that we are nearing its one-year mark.
The NFL is very leak prone. No way a player will ever give them a phone.