Elliott will sit out after court ruling
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott’s half-season run from his six-game suspension ended Thursday when a federal appeals court refused to let him play while it considered his appeal.
The suspension was ordered in August as discipline after the league investigated allegations he used force against his girlfriend in the summer of 2016. Elliott vehemently denied the allegations as recently as last week, saying he was not an abuser. Hernandez’s CTE severe: Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez suffered substantial damage to parts of the brain that affect memory, judgment and behavior from the most severe case of a degenerative disease linked to head blows ever found in someone so young, a researcher said.
Dr. Ann McKee, director of Boston University’s CTE Center, stressed she couldn’t “connect the dots” between the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy and the behavior of the 27-year-old who hanged himself in April while serving life in prison for murder. Jernigan extension: Former Ravens defensive tackle Tim Jernigan signed a four-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles. Jernigan could earn as much as $48 million, with $26 million guaranteed by accepting the Eagles’ offer, according to reports.
Acquired in an offseason trade with the Baltimore Ravens, Jernigan is tied for the team lead with eight tackles for a loss this season. He also has1.5 sacks and five hurries. Giants players defensive: Ben McAdoo and players are in a defensive mode after published comments by two anonymous Giants players that the second-year coach has lost the team and guys are giving up in the wake of a 1-7 start.
“It’s hard to help a player when they don’t put their name on a quote,” McAdoo said. “So, if they need some help, come see me. I’m the guy that can help them.” Goodell extension soon: The NFLexpects a five-year contract extension with Commissioner Roger Goodell to be finalized soon, despite a threatened lawsuit by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. NFL spokesmanJoe Lockhart said that “our expectation is this will be wrapped up soon, but we can’t project an actual date.” Patriots claim Bennett: The Patriots claimed tight end Martellus Bennett off waivers, a day after he was cut by the Packers for “failing to disclose a physical condition.” Now, if he passes a physical, he will be reunited with the team he won a Super Bowl with last season. Extra points: A video review of 459 reported concussions sustained during the last two NFL seasons found far more occurred on passing plays. Yet quarterbacks rank at the bottom of the list with 5 percent of concussions. Positions in which multiple players are in action at the same time lead the list: cornerback (22 percent) and wide receiver (15 percent). ... The Colts have released twotime Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis. The move comes less than 24 hours after Davis complained about how the Colts handled his demotion.