Suspension Would Cost Ezekiel Elliott
If Ezekiel Elliott is suspended for any reason by the NFL, he’ll be feeling it in the wallet. In addition to missing game checks, Elliott will have to repay the Cowboys a portion of his signing bonus, as ESPN.com’s Todd Archer outlines. For Elliott, that means giving up nearly $240K per missed game. 
Per the terms of the CBA, players suspended under the drug and PED policies are forced to repay their teams. Whether a player is suspended under the personal conduct policy, repayment is at the discretion of the team. However, multiple agents who have done business with Dallas tell Archer that the Cowboys have strict language in their deals that call for the full amount.
The league has been investigating abuse allegations against Elliott for roughly one year. Recently, Elliott may have compounded his problem by participating in a barroom brawl. Some witnesses say that it was Elliott who punched a man in the face on Sunday night in a Texas bar, leaving him with a broken nose. However, at least one witness says that the punch was not thrown by Elliott. It’s also worth noting that Elliott has yet to be questioned by police for his potential role in the incident.
Jerry Jones On Ezekiel Elliott Incident
- Following Ezekiel Elliott‘s reported involvement in a barroom fight over the weekend, owner Jerry Jones said the Cowboys are still gathering facts on the incident, according to USA Today. “Like all of us, we do good some days and don’t do good the others,” Jones said. “That’s not to be confused with tolerating bad behavior or illegal behavior. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about just learning that your every move will be scrutinized and how in this day and time it will be looked at from many vantage points.” For what it’s worth, a witness said Elliott didn’t throw a punch in the brawl.
Ezekiel Elliott Facing Misdemeanor Charge For Speeding
- In addition to the incident that transpired over the weekend, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is also facing a misdemeanor charge for speeding. He is appealing that conviction, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. The running back is accused of going 100 mph in a 70 mph zone back in April.
Witness: Ezekiel Elliott Did Not Throw Punch
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was said to be involved in a fight over the weekend that left one man with a broken nose. However, the running back has not been arrested for his involvement as of this writing and there are varied accounts of what transpired. Michael Huffman, a bouncer from Wichita Falls who was in the bar on Sunday night, says the alleged victim was the instigator and Elliott did not do anything wrong. 
“It didn’t go down like that,” Huffman wrote in a private message to Domingo Ramirez Jr. and Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram. “Everybody is saying that, but he didn’t throw the punch … Zeke was just standing there arms folded chilling feeling the crowd. Then I seen DJ getting loud toward the vicinity of Zeke and then I see an overhand right come over the back of Zeke shoulder that landed square in DTrain’s face and he went to sleep. He didn’t even see it. Then the crowd circled and dispersed. I’m surprised a whole video hasn’t been released yet.”
Other witnesses have said that the man throwing the punch appeared to be Elliott. But, if Huffman’s account of events can be verified, then the running back will avoid punishment from the legal system and the NFL. On Monday, an NFL spokesman confirmed that the league is investigating the matter.
NFL Window Nearly Closed For Greg Hardy
Greg Hardy was scheduled to participate in last weekend’s Spring League Showcase, but he did not take the field with the other NFL hopefuls in California. Instead, Hardy is choosing to focus on his MMA training, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
Hardy still hopes to get a chance in the NFL, Rosenhaus says, but both the player and his rep are being realistic about the odds. The agent is hoping that the former Panthers and Cowboys defensive end will get a call from an interested team in the next month, but there’s no reason to think that there will suddenly be a groundswell of interest.
Hardy received zero bites from any teams last offseason after starting 12 games for the Cowboys in 2015. He’s now even further removed from live action but he’s just as toxic as he was before from a PR perspective. There’s also the matter of his perceived attitude problem. Even when he was bestowed with a second chance with the Cowboys, Hardy was reportedly irritable and frequently late for practice.
As talented as he is, teams feel they have little incentive to kick the tires on Hardy. Barring a miracle, it sounds like Hardy will be devoting himself to cage fighting full time rather than pursuing a return to the gridiron.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott Involved In Fight
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was involved in a late-night incident at a Dallas bar Sunday, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The news was first reported by 105.3 FM The Fan in Dallas. 
[RELATED: Elliott To Receive Suspension For Domestic Violence Accusations?]
Elliott was not arrested or detained following the altercation, but this is terrible timing for the running back as he faces a potential suspension for accusations of domestic violence. The NFL has been known to levy punishments even when the legal system does not see fit to do so and this bar fight may increase the likelihood of a multi-game suspension.
According to a statement from the Dallas Police, officers were called to a disturbance on Sunday in which a 30-year-old male victim said he was assaulted but he did not know who hit him. The victim was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. No arrests were made and nobody was listed as a suspect, but the investigation is ongoing.
Last week, it was reported that that Elliott could face a one- or two-game suspension from the league. It would make sense for the NFL to levy its punishment sooner rather than later so that Elliott can have time before Week 1 to go through the appeals process, but this latest incident could gum up the works even further.
Sando: Prescott In Position To Be In Best-QB Conversation Long-Term
- One ESPN NFL insider tabbed Dak Prescott as being in position to become the league’s best quarterback in five years, with Mike Sando (via the Dallas Morning News) projecting the offensive rookie of the year to ascend to that perch. ESPN’s Dan Graziano placed the Cowboys in the position to have the most success over the next five years, citing Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and an offensive line that’s been the best in the game over the past few seasons.
Florio: NFL Needs To Decide Ezekiel Elliott's Fate ASAP
- The NFL needs to make a decision on whether to suspend Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott as soon as possible, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. In doing so, he league would ensure that the internal appeals process would be resolved by Week 1, reasons Florio. Elliott is bracing for a season-opening ban, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, and Florio wonders if the league leaked that information to Schefter in order to gauge the opinions of both the public and Jerry Jones. The Cowboys owner has made it known to NFL higher-ups that he won’t react kindly if the league suspends one of his stars without ample justification, reports Florio. Given the power Jones has, the NFL “needs to placate” him, writes Florio; at the same time, the league’s also in a difficult situation because it can’t afford to screw up another ruling involving domestic violence.
Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott To Receive Ban?
There is a “growing sense” that Ezekiel Elliott could be hit with a short suspension in the coming weeks, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (video link) reports. The Cowboys running back is personally bracing for the possibility that he could miss the start of the 2017 regular season. 
[RELATED: DeAngelo Williams Rules Out Four Teams, Including Cowboys]
The Cowboys open the season against the rival Giants before facing the Broncos in Week 2. At this time, Schefter gets the feeling that Elliott will miss one, if not both of those games. Still, the NFL has yet to make a final determination on the matter and nothing will be decided until the investigation is wrapped up.
Last year, a woman accused Elliott of abusing her on two separate occasions in 2016. He was never arrested or charged for either supposed incident, but the NFL requires much less evidence to levy punishment than the American legal system. Given the league’s ugly history with domestic violence, they are not taking the accusations against the young star lightly.
Elliott, 22 later this month, ran for a league-leading 1,631 yards off of 322 carries last year with 15 touchdowns. He supplemented that incredible stat line with 32 catches for 363 yards and one score.
Cowboys Notes: Martin, Smith, Witten
The latest out of Dallas:
- ESPN.com’s Todd Archer opines wonders how much Gabe Jackson‘s new five-year, $56MM deal with the Raiders will impact Zack Martin‘s negotiations with the Cowboys. Martin is positioned to become the highest-paid guard in the NFL, but Dallas could theoretically control him through 2021 through the fifth-year option and three consecutive franchise tags. Finding the middle ground will be tough, but Archer notes that the team’s strong relationship with agents Tom Condon and R.J. Gonser could help speed things along. There have only been preliminary talks so far, but that could change early on in training camp.
- More from Archer, who writes that making Jaylon Smith a two-down linebacker might be the best way for the Cowboys to work him into the lineup. Currently, Archer feels that expectations are probably a bit too high for the Notre Dame product considering the seriousness of the injury he is battling back from. Scaling back his workload could allow him to ease into the pace of the NFL game.
- Looking down the road, the Cowboys still lack an obvious successor to tight end Jason Witten, Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News writes. The Cowboys are hoping that youngster Rico Gathers will turn into a quality tight end, but it’s not clear if the ex-basketball player has made enough strides on the gridiron to make this year’s roster and actually see his first taste of live NFL action. The Cowboys also have James Hanna and Geoff Swaim on the TE depth chart. They’re probably comfortable with their tight end situation for 2017, but it’s something they may have to address down the line.