This Tuesday, Ezekiel Elliott will meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss an offseason incident with security personnel at a concert in Las Vegas. Given Elliott’s history with a six-game suspension in 2017 under the domestic violence policy, there is legitimate concern for how the league could penalize the Cowboys’ star running back for the upcoming season.
Last May, Elliott was seemingly intoxicated and reportedly tried to enter a restricted area of the concert grounds. Video showed Zeke stepping aggressively towards one of the guards, making minor contact but causing the man to fall backwards.
The video evidence, which was widely circulated thanks to TMZ, is the most damning part of the incident. Not only does it show the security guard falling, but Elliott appears to be following his female companion in the midst of an argument.
While Zeke’s suspension in 2017 was based on accusations which were never proven or pursued in court, any appearance of aggression towards a woman is worrisome when it comes to perceptions and how the NFL may adjudicate this latest issue.
Nothing that happened in the video from May, or from any report, is as serious as the domestic violence allegations that Elliott faced in 2017. But if Goodell sees Zeke as a recidivist who didn’t learn from the last incident, it could mean an equal or even lengthier suspension this time around.
The Cowboys’ 2017 season was derailed largely by Elliott’s absence. The team finished 9-7 and barely missed the playoffs despite it, but faced distraction and destabilization on a weekly basis while Zeke and the NFL battled the suspension out in the courts.
Unfortunately, all we can do now is wait and see how Ezekiel Elliott’s dealings with Roger Goodell and the league office go this time around.
