Ezekiel Elliott On Meeting With Commissioner

Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott met with commissioner Roger Goodell today to discuss a May incident in Las Vegas during which Elliott was briefly detained by police after bumping a security guard. After the summit with Goodell, Elliott released the following statement on Twitter:

“Earlier today, I met with the Commissioner to share with him what occurred in Las Vegas and what I have learned from that incident. I’ve worked hard to make better decisions and to live up to the high standards that are expected of me. I failed to do that here and I made a poor decision. I apologized to [security guard] Kyle Johnson at the time and I meant it. I need to work harder to ensure that I do not put myself in compromised situations in the future. I am rededicating myself to use all of the resources that the league has made available. But in the end, it is up to me and I am determined not to be in this position again.”

Elliott certainly sounds like a man who has gotten a thorough talking-to, and his contrition may be enough to stave off a suspension. Given Elliott’s track record, though, Goodell may well have warned the two-time rushing champion that even minor incidents like this one could be more damaging to him than they would be to a player without a disciplinary history.

Veteran NFL reporter Ed Werder said he does not expect Zeke to be hit with a suspension (Twitter link), and Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says that no criminal charges are expected to be filed. Hill also reports that Johnson hugged Elliott and took a picture with him after the incident, though he later requested a sincere apology.

Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network also hears from league sources that Elliott is unlikely to be suspended, and that the meeting with Goodell was more of an opportunity for the commissioner to warn Elliott to keep himself out of potentially troublesome situations going forward (video link). Interestingly, Garafolo adds that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sent team counsel to the meeting, even though such meetings are generally attended by an NFLPA rep and/or the player’s own lawyer. Jones and Goodell have apparently reconciled enough to work together on the new CBA, but matters involving Elliott still seem to be sensitive for Jones.

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