Ezekiel Elliott - Pro Football Rumors

NFL Could Drop Ezekiel Elliott Investigation

March 17th, 2017 at 7:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The NFL has been investigating domestic violence claims against Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott since July, but it appears the first-team All-Pro will emerge without punishment. Representatives for Elliott have advised him that he won’t face discipline when the league closes the case, which should happen soon, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

After the Cowboys’ season ended in January, the 21-year-old Elliott complained that the league’s investigation was taking too long.

“I do want closure,” Elliott said. “I would rather it not drag on this long. If there was something to find, which there’s not, they would’ve found it by now. The police did a very thorough investigation. I will tell you this — it just seems like they’re dragging their feet right now. Who knows, man? I’m just ready for it to end.”

Elliott’s statement came two months after a report that he was “Public Enemy No. 1” in the NFL’s view. The league has taken its time, and has gotten cooperation from Elliott’s ex-girlfriend, because it doesn’t want to botch yet another domestic violence investigation after it mishandled the Ray Rice and Josh Brown cases.

Elliott’s accuser claims that she was a victim of five separate domestic violence incidents when they were together, though the district attorney’s office in Columbus, Ohio, decided not to pursue charges against him last September. For his part, the league’s reigning rushing champion has maintained his innocence.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Elliott, Crawford

March 6th, 2017 at 9:50am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the NFC East:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he has heard nothing new about the league’s investigation into assault allegations against Ezekiel Elliott, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes. “Absolutely nothing anywhere that indicates anything other than what they told us when we left training camp,” Jones said, “and that is that they have no cause.” Jones added that if the investigation had turned anything up, he “would have heard about it.”
Cowboys defensive end Jack Crawford has interest from roughly five teams, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. There’s a chance he could return to Dallas, but the Colts, Bills, and Jaguars are also in play for his services. Last year, Crawford re-signed with the Cowboys on a one-year, $1.1MM deal with a $240K signing bonus. This time around, he could command more money. Crawford, 29 in September, made a career-high eleven starts in 2016 and had 25 tackles with 3.5 sacks.
Giants kicker Robbie Gould will test free agency, according to a source who spoke with Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Gould, 35, did not miss a single field goal attempt in his lone season with the Giants. Including the playoffs, he went 12-for-12 on three point tries, with a long of 47 yards. He made 21 of his 24 extra point attempts. The Giants do have a kicker signed to a futures deal, but it sounds like they might be the market for a proven leg.

NFC Notes: Romo, Elliott, Seahawks, Graham

January 17th, 2017 at 10:31am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Tony Romo could ask for his release this offseason, and the Cowboys should grant it, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. If that were to happen, Romo would be able to pick his next employer (perhaps Denver) and negotiate a good deal for himself, and that team wouldn’t weaken itself by giving up a draft pick(s) for the soon-to-be 37-year-old. On the other hand, Florio notes that the Cowboys have the right to seek compensation for Romo via trade, though he points out that the club could otherwise designate Dak Prescott‘s backup as a post-June 1 cut and save $14MM in cap space in 2017.

Speaking on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wasn’t willing to elaborate on what he’ll do with Romo in the coming months. “We’ve got a lot to think about here, but that’s in the future,” he said (via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Jones did opine, though, that Romo has enough left in the tank to lead a team to a Super Bowl.

Latest On Ezekiel Elliott Investigation

January 15th, 2017 at 9:53am CST by Rory Parks

As the Cowboys get set to take on the Packers in today’s much-anticipated playoff matchup, more details have emerged on the league’s investigation into the assault allegations levied against Cowboys’ star running back Ezekiel Elliott by his ex-girlfriend. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL submitted follow-up questions to Elliott within the past month, and Elliott is still in the process of responding to those questions.

As Schefter writes, no resolution to this matter is expected before the end of the season. Any discipline that the league hands down would therefore impact Elliott’s 2017 campaign.

By now, of course, the story is a familiar one. Elliott’s ex-girlfriend, who has also been cooperating with the league’s investigation, has claimed that she was abused by Elliott on five separate occasions. Elliott was not arrested and did not face charges related to the alleged incidents, but that does not mean that he is exempt from league-imposed punishment.

We heard in November that the league viewed Elliott as “Public Enemy No. 1,” that it is attempting to be as thorough as possible as it looks into Elliott, and that it is determined to avoid the same type of mistakes it has made in past domestic violence incidents. In December, Tim Rohan of TheMMQB set forth the league’s new, time-consuming protocol for investigating these matters.

On the field, Elliott has been everything the Cowboys hoped he would be when they selected him with the fourth overall pick of this year’s draft. The former Buckeye had 322 carries for a whopping 1,631 yards (both league bests), and he added 32 catches for another 363 yards. He scored 15 touchdowns on the ground and one through the air. He and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott helped lift the Cowboys to the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and they have Dallas fans dreaming of a Troy Aikman–Emmitt Smith type of partnership.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Linehan, Bradford

December 18th, 2016 at 12:27pm CST by Rory Parks

The Eagles have fallen into a tailspin after an exciting start to the season, and that has led to some speculation as to whether the team will make any major changes this offseason. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Philadelphia will not make any such changes, which means that head coach Doug Pederson will be back for a second year at the helm. Per Rapoport, the front office knew going into 2016 that the club was at least a year away from being a legitimate playoff contender, and while the Eagles’ 3-0 start helped to hide some of the weaknesses on the roster, the team knew that fixing those weaknesses would not be an overnight process.

Now for more notes from the NFC:

Despite Dak Prescott‘s recent struggles, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that things would have to get much worse for the Cowboys to consider switching to Tony Romo. But Rapoport adds that Dallas OC Scott Linehan will be a sought-after head coaching candidate this offseason, and his departure could have a major impact on Prescott moving forward (Twitter link).
As the Ezekiel Elliott domestic violence investigation drags on, Tim Rohan of TheMMQB wonders why it’s taking so long, and if the league is just prolonging the process to keep up appearances. Rohan lays out in excellent detail the steps that the league’s investigative team takes in a post-Ray Rice world, and how that process could explain the lengthy delay in the NFL’s issuing a final word on the Cowboys‘ star running back.
Su’a Cravens may miss the rest of the season with a biceps injury, but that has not stopped speculation surrounding the young defensive playmaker and how he will fit in with the Redskins moving forward. Thus far, Cravens has worked exclusively as an inside linebacker, but given his strength in the passing game, JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com believes he may ultimately be better-suited as a safety, especially since the Redskins do not have a long-term answer at strong safety.
As Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports observes, the Vikings have two high-profile players who are due for big roster bonuses in March: Sam Bradford and Adrian Peterson. Per Pelissero, Minnesota plans to bring back Bradford, but as we have heard for a long time, the Vikings will likely not pay Peterson’s $6MM roster bonus and instead will approach him about a pay cut prior to the bonus coming due.
We learned earlier today that the Saints could look to trade Sean Payton in the offseason.

NFL Views Zeke Elliott As “Public Enemy No. 1”

November 13th, 2016 at 4:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL is continuing its investigation into domestic violence allegations aimed at Ezekiel Elliott, and one source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that the league now views the Cowboys running back as “public enemy No. 1.” Elliott is under scrutiny following complaints in Ohio and Florida, both from the same woman.

After the NFL botched the probes into DV claims against former Ravens running back Ray Rice and former Giants kicker Josh Brown, Schefter reports that the league is now attempting to be “as thorough as possible” as it looks into Elliott, and is determined to avoid the same type of mistakes it has made in past inquiries. Elliott’s ex-girlfriend, the victim in the investigation, is cooperating with the NFL as it examines the accusations against the first-round rookie.

Late last month, Elliott’s legal advisor released a statement calling on the NFL to close its probe, arguing that his client has already been interviewed by the league. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also seemingly wants the matter to end, or at least get some clarification as to its status, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that Jones attempted to speak with NFL investigator Lisa Friel during recent league meetings. Friel, however, did not engage with Jones.

Running Back Notes: Martin, Elliott, Lacy, Bell

November 5th, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Ben Levine

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin hasn’t seen the field since the second week of the season, but the 27-year-old may finally have a definitive return date. Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter told SiriusXM NFL Radio that the team is optimistic that Martin will return for next week’s contest against the Bears.

“We’re hopeful that after these three days off that maybe he has a shot at Chicago,” Koetter said (via Alex Marvez of Sporting News). “But hamstrings seem to linger a little bit. We’ll have to wait and see.

“These hamstrings are just delicate. He was 90-plus percent back and doing his rehab run one day and he tweaked it again. (Bucs trainers) kind of had to go back and start over.”

Martin rushed for 1,402 yards and six touchdowns last season, and the organization rewarded him with a five-year, $36MM extension. The former first-round pick collected 85 yards on 25 carries in 2016 before being sidelined with the hamstring injury.

Let’s take a look at some other notes pertaining to the NFL’s running backs…

Domestic violence accusations have surrounded Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott this season, and an incident report from the Aventura (Fla.) Police Department (obtained by USA Today’s Tom Pelissero and A.J. Perez) said the player’s ex-girlfriend/accuser also accused the athlete of abusing her back in February. The police said there were no visible signs of injury, and Elliott was not arrested. The writers say it’s unclear whether the NFL knew about these previous allegations.
There are several big-name running back prospects in this year’s NFL draft, but one scout believes the depth is overrated. “This was billed as some elite running back class—it’s not,” the scout told Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. “[Leonard] Fournette is a freak, but everyone knows that. Dalvin Cook is exciting, but he’s not close to last year’s first-rounder [Ezekiel Elliott]. [Nick] Chubb is a third[-rounder] from what I’ve heard in our group. The big kid at Texas [D’Onta Foreman] is the one to watch if he comes out. I like him better than Derrick Henry.”
ESPN.com’s Field Yates previews the “biggest upcoming roster decisions” for each NFL team, and the writer points to two team’s running situations. With Eddie Lacy set to become a free agent, the Packers will have to decided whether they want to invest in the veteran or go a different route. If the team does look to replace the 26-year-old, Yates believes they’ll do so via the draft.
Meanwhile, Yates also looks at the situation in Pittsburgh between the Steelers and Le’Veon Bell. As the 24-year-old slowly creeps towards unrestricted free agency, the writer wonders whether the team will spend to keep one of their homegrown talents.

Latest On Ezekiel Elliott Investigation

October 31st, 2016 at 9:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Ezekiel Elliott‘s legal advisor Frank Salzano today issued a press release stating his view that Elliott will eventually be cleared of domestic violence charges, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Reports yesterday indicated that Elliott’s ex-girlfriend/accuser is cooperating with the NFL’s investigation.

“For the past several days the media has elected to focus on allegations of domestic violence involving Mr. Elliott despite the Columbus, Ohio Prosecutor’s Office decision not to charge Mr. Elliott nearly two months ago,” the statement reads in part. “My office provided a mountain of exculpatory evidence demonstrating Mr. Elliott’s innocence and directly contradicting all of the false allegations contained in the Accuser’s two police reports…”

The statement goes on to call on the NFL to close its investigation of Elliott given that it has already interviewed him. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also seemingly wants the matter to end, or at least get some clarification as to its status, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports that Jones attempted to speak with NFL investigator Lisa Friel during recent league meetings. Friel, however, did not engage with Jones.

Under the league’s old personal conduct policy, Elliott might have been in the clear after the Columbus DA passed on charges. Now, in the post-Ray Rice era, the NFL is taking DV allegations much more seriously. It’s also fair to say that the league is being extra cautious in the wake of the Josh Brown controversy which has dominated headlines for weeks.

Latest On NFL’s Ezekiel Elliott Investigation

October 30th, 2016 at 7:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Ezekiel Elliott’s ex-girlfriend is cooperating with the league’s investigation into the domestic abuse allegations against the player, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. If the league finds that there is merit to the accusations, her testimony could have a major impact on the Cowboys tailback.

The aforementioned woman has claimed that five separate incidents of domestic violence transpired. Elliott, meanwhile, has maintained his innocence. In September, the Columbus, Ohio district attorney’s office opted not to pursue charges against the Dallas rookie.

Heading into tonight’s game, Elliott has rushed for 703 yards and five touchdowns off of 137 carries. He also has eleven catches for 98 yards. It would certainly sting if the Cowboys were to lose Elliott for any period of time this season.

Under the league’s old personal conduct policy, Elliott might have been in the clear after the Columbus DA passed on charges. Now, in the post-Ray Rice era, the league is taking DV allegations much more seriously. It’s also fair to say that the league is being extra cautious in the wake of the Josh Brown controversy which has dominated headlines for weeks.

NFL Interviews Ezekiel Elliott

October 27th, 2016 at 4:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL recently interviewed Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott about the domestic violence allegations raised against him earlier this year, a source tells USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. Elliott did not face criminal charges for any of the five alleged incidents raised by his ex-girlfriend, but the league is still investigating what happened.

Of course, the NFL is under extra scrutiny with regards to domestic violence cases in the wake of the Josh Brown issue. If the league finds that the allegations against Elliott hold some water, it’s not difficult to imagine him being hit with a suspension.

In addition to the DV allegations, the Cowboys were reportedly disappointed by Elliott’s off-the-field behavior in the summer. Elliott was spotted at a Seattle marijuana shop in August and in texts with his aforementioned ex, he seemed to imply that he was working to circumvent a drug test.

Since the start of the season, Elliott has been doing nothing but making Cowboys officials smile. Through six games, the Ohio State product has 703 yards off of 137 carries with five touchdowns. That averages out to a 5.1 yards per carry average and 117.2 yards per contest. Elliott also has 11 catches for 98 yards.