Ezekiel Elliott Granted Restraining Order

Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has been granted a temporary restraining order against the NFL, tweets Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. Elliott is now expected to be available for the remainder of the season while his case is sorted out, and his six-game suspension stemming from domestic violence allegations is on hold.Ezekiel Elliott (vertical)

A judge found that Elliott “did not receive a fundamentally fair hearing, necessitating the Court grant the request” for a restraining order, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Because neither Elliott’s accuser nor NFL comissioner Roger Goodell was allowed to testify at said hearing, Judge Amos Mazzant accepted Elliott’s request. The risk in asking for a restraining order is that the case is decided in November or December, according to Breer (Twitter link), which could lead to Elliott missing critical games late in the season.

Elliot’s ban was upheld last week, but he was still going to be able to play in Dallas’ season opener against the Giants on Sunday night thanks to the NFL’s policy of not imposing suspensions if an appeal decision isn’t made by 4pm ET on a Tuesday. However, Elliott had been set to miss games against the Broncos, Cardinals, Rams, Packers, 49ers, and Redskins.

Elliott, the fourth overall selection in the 2016 draft, has accused the NFL of fomenting a conspiracy against him, and the dispute has gotten ugly from all angles. Elliott and his camp have cast doubt on the consistency of his accuser’s claims and suggested her motives were profit-based, while the NFL has accused Elliott of victim-shaming.

On the field, Elliott is one of the league’s more dynamic talents, as he lead the NFL in rushing yards while scoring 15 times a year ago.

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