Latest On Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott

The judge involved in Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s legal case has requested the NFLPA and the NFL offer filings by 5pm Wednesday and Friday, respectively, according to Tom Peliserro of USA Today (Twitter link), which means it’s a “virtual certainty” Elliott plays against the Broncos on Sunday. As was the case in Week 1, the NFL has taken the position that a delay in a ruling means Elliott will be available for the week in which a decision is handed down.

Here’s more on the Elliott saga:

• The “expedited” appeals process in the Elliott case will be similar to that of the Tom Brady/Deflategate timeline, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), meaning arguments will be held in September, followed by a hearing in January and a decision in April. That is, of course, a court grants a stay in the case, something the NFL is requesting. League spokesman Joe Lockhart indicated Elliott won’t be placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list, tweets Rapoport.
• Elliott and the NFL aren’t likely to reach a settlement that would absolve the second-year back of domestic violence responsibility, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Given that Elliott has been unwilling to accept any blame, there is “no middle ground” on which the two parties can land. Instead, Elliott is expected to be either banned for six games or zero games.
• The NFL did not ask Elliott’s accuser, Tiffany Thompson, to testify under oath, as Florio writes in a separate piece. While the league doesn’t hold subpoena power, Thompson did agree to be interviewed by the NFL on six occasions, meaning she may have been willing to offer testimony. However, the league reportedly is wary of placing domestic violence victims in “awkward and uncomfortable” situations, per Florio.