The Hamilton Spectator

Elliott having trouble staying ‘out of the way’

Jones: ‘It’s not good. It’s just not good. It’s just not good’

- CINDY BOREN

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, whose behaviour is under investigat­ion by the NFL, reportedly has drawn unwanted attention because of an incident Sunday night in a Dallas bar.

Dallas police say that they were summoned to Clutch bar at around 9:40 p.m. because a 30-year-old patron said he had been physically assaulted by an unnamed man.

The man was taken to a hospital for injuries. No arrests were made and Elliott was not named on the police report. However, media outlets cited sources naming him in what Dallas police said in an email is an ongoing investigat­ion.

Elliott, who will turn 22 on Saturday, led the NFL in rushing as a rookie. But an allegation of domestic violence, for which no charges were filed, has hung over the offseason and could result in his suspension.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Friday that “there’s a growing sense” that Elliott could face “some sort of short suspension here in the coming weeks at some point, once the NFL wraps up its investigat­ion.”

Elliott’s judgment has been called into question at times during the off-season, drawing unneeded attention while an investigat­ion is proceeding. During a St. Patrick’s Day parade, he pulled down a woman’s top, a move that was captured on video.

“There is not much that I want to say other than that was unfortunat­e and not good,” owner Jerry Jones said of the incident in late March. “It wouldn’t be the right emphasis one way or the other to get into any communicat­ions or dialogue since that happened.”

In February, Elliott, who played college ball at Ohio State, was with a friend who was arrested for trying to carry a firearm into a bar in Columbus, Ohio. Elliott, in a tweet that was later deleted, said, “I was never ‘detained’ by the police. Nor was I ever questioned or in any type of trouble.”

Last summer, Elliott visited a recreation­al marijuana shop in Seattle, where possession of small amounts is legal, just hours before a pre-season Cowboys game. He made no purchase at Herban Legend, but his presence in the shop concerned Jones, given that the NFL considers the substance banned under terms of the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Associatio­n.

“Well, I think that, in and of itself, the reason we are talking about it is in a way part of the learning process,” Jones told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “But it’s not good. It’s just not good. It’s just not good.”

In 2016, Ohio prosecutor­s opted not to pursue the allegation of domestic abuse. Earlier this summer, the NFL Players Associatio­n turned over phone records and other documents that league investigat­ors were seeking, according to USA Today, and it appeared that the investigat­ion was nearing an end.

A woman, who said she was an ex-girlfriend, alleged that Elliott abused her over several days last July in Ohio. According to USA Today, the same woman called police on Elliott in February 2016 in Florida.

Citing what it said was conflictin­g and inconsiste­nt informatio­n on all alleged incidents, the Columbus City Attorney’s Office declined to file charges.

 ?? MAX FAULKNER, TNS ?? Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is under increasing scrutiny by the NFL for his off-field antics.
MAX FAULKNER, TNS Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is under increasing scrutiny by the NFL for his off-field antics.

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