Dallas Cowboys News & Rumors

Things just keep getting uglier in Ezekiel Elliott‘s fight with the league office. The Cowboys’ star running back has filed suit against the NFL in Texas federal court, alleging that he is the victim of a “league-orchestrated conspiracy…to hide critical information” from commissioner Roger Goodell and other key decision makers. 

Elliott’s camp argues that the league’s director of investigations, Kia Roberts, found accuser Tiffany Thompson to be “not credible” in her allegations and saw little evidence to support her claims. His team alleges that the league then kept Roberts away from meetings in which experts made recommendations to Goodell. Furthermore, Roberts chronicled her concerns about Thompson in an internal memo entitled “Tiffany Thompson Inconsistency Transcripts,” a league source told Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.

The NFL denies any wrongdoing.

“They’re trying to create a grand conspiracy story where none exists,” league spokesman Joe Lockhart told Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.

Lockhart says there is no truth to allegations that the league kept Roberts’ concerns away from Goodell. In fact, he says the commissioner was aware of her doubts heading into the aforementioned meetings. At the same time, Lockhart says that it is not common for someone in Roberts’ role to make a disciplinary recommendation.

“In fact, at Kia’s level, she wouldn’t, and she didn’t [make a recommendation for discipline],” Lockhart said. “She made her point of view on particularly the credibility issues known in the report; they are reflected in the report. It is the commissioner and the commissioner’s sole role to decide on discipline. In fact, the union filed a grievance to force him not to delegate the decision [on disciplinary decisions].”

The NFL handed Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott a six-game suspension stemming from domestic violence allegations earlier this month, but the league’s director of investigations, Kia Roberts, recommended no ban for the running back, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Roberts’ decision came after interviewing Tiffany Thompson, Elliott’s ex-girlfriend who accused him in June 2016 of committing physical violence against her on multiple occasions. Despite Roberts’ key role in the investigation, her suggestion didn’t make it into the NFL’s final report and its suspension letter, notes Hill. Further, Roberts wasn’t present during a commissioner Roger Goodell-led meeting that centered on potential disciplinary measures for Elliott, Hill adds.

Senior vice president of investigations Lisa Friel was among those in attendance with Goodell, and it was Friel who advised a six-game suspension to the commissioner, according to Hill. The fact that Goodell ultimately did hand down that penalty to Elliott left Cowboys owner Jerry Jones “furious,” in part because he expected Elliott to elude punishment. A top official with the NFL informed Jones that the league would not discipline Elliott, Hill relays.

Elliott appealed his suspension this week during a hearing that spanned three days and over 25 hours, and his side testified that Friel banned Roberts from the aforementioned meeting, Hill reports. Roberts, who was also on hand, testified Tuesday that she was the only league employee to interview Thompson, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Roberts also confirmed that she would not have recommended discipline for Elliott had she been part of the decision-making committee – one that Hill reports consisted of former New Jersey attorney general Peter Harvey, Pro Football Hall of Famer Ken Houston, chief executive of the Women of Color Network Inc. Tonya Lovelace and former U.S. attorney and ex-chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission Mary Jo White. Friel provided testimony on Wednesday and corroborated that of Roberts, Graziano writes.

Hill contends the hearing went well for Elliott’s camp, noting that the league lacks solid proof that he abused Thompson. Both that and the NFL’s unwillingness to listen to Roberts would not bode well for the league in federal court, Hill posits. Elliott could file a lawsuit against the league if hearing officer Harold Henderson doesn’t overturn or reduce the suspension, and Graziano suggests that the NFLPA is ready to fight in court if necessary. Henderson is reportedly “under pressure” to make a decision by Monday.

Finally, we could be getting some closure in the Ezekiel Elliott case. Harold Henderson, the appeals officer in the Elliott hearing, is under pressure to reach a decision by Monday, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 

The Cowboys are operating under the belief thatElliott will play in the season opener if a ruling doesn’t come by Tuesday at 3pm, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News tweets. That could explain why the league is pushing Henderson to wrap things up by Monday.

Of course, if Elliott doesn’t have his suspension overturned or reduced, he may still take his battle to the legal system. It has been reported that Elliott is furious over his six-game ban and is vowing to fight the league on it until he has exhausted all options.

On Wednesday, Elliott personally spoke on the domestic abuse allegations against him. Thursday’s portion of the hearing included analysis from a doctor who has analyzed photos of the alleged victim’s injuries. The multi-day hearing has now concluded and it’s time for Henderson to reach his verdict.

If Elliott does not have the suspension overturned or trimmed down, he will miss games against the Giants, Broncos, Cardinals, Rams, Packers, and 49ers.