Cowboys’ Jones to pay up after all
NFL was seeking $2M in legal fees
Ezekiel Elliott was at peace with his entire suspension saga after the season. After 20 months of investigations and legal fights and public tantrums, the NFL and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones are now, too.
“The matter of the reimbursement of legal fees has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties,” the league announced Wednesday.
The league was seeking more than $2 million in legal fees stemming from the federal court case with Elliott over his six-game suspension for violating the league’s personalconduct policy and Jones’ opposition to Commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract extension.
Multiple reports state Jones will fully reimburse the league the $2 million-plus.
Jones testified under oath in front of Goodell and the finance committee during a hearing on Monday in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Jones expressed his eagerness to bring his side in front of Goodell during the NFL scouting combine last week. The league cited a rule that has been on the books since 1997.
Jones threatened to sue the league to block Goodell’s contract extension in the middle of the season last year, but never filed suit. As far as Elliott’s case, Jones and the Cowboys provided a letter of support, but were not involved in the case.
In the end, though, it appears Jones simply didn’t want this matter to linger longer. The league started investigating Elliott in July 2016 and took more than a year before handing down the suspension.