Latest legal twist is against Elliott
There was another twist Thursday in the legal battle involving Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, and this one favors the NFL.
A federal appeals court lifted an injunction that had blocked the league from punishing Elliott, thereby paving the way for the original six-game suspension to be imposed. The secondyear player, last season’s rushing leader, is facing domestic violence accusations.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans granted an emergency request by the NFL to lift the injunction and ordered the district court in Texas that had imposed it to dismiss the case.
The injunction was put in place by a Texas judge who agreed with the argument of an NFL Players Assn. attorney who said Elliott wasn’t given a fair chance in his appeals hearing.
The league argued that it followed the rules of the labor deal and that the players’ union improperly filed a lawsuit before the appeals process had even concluded.
The NFL announced the suspension in August after a year-long investigation found that on three occasions Elliott caused physical injury to a girlfriend. Elliott has denied the charges.
The likely next step would be the NFLPA filing an injunction in the Southern District of New York in hopes of keeping Elliott on the field. The Cowboys are off this weekend before resuming play Oct. 22 at San Francisco.
If the six-game suspension were put in place immediately, Elliott would not be able to play until after the Cowboys’ game against the Chargers on Thanksgiving. — Sam Farmer Bengals’ Eifert out
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert will miss the rest of the season with a back injury that has put his career in jeopardy.
The fifth-year veteran missed half of last season with ankle and back injuries. He had surgery on a disk in his back last December. He aggravated it in the second game this season, forcing him to consider another procedure. He’s been inactive for the last three games and was put on injured reserve Thursday.
The Bengals made Eifert the 21st overall choice in the 2013 draft. He’s been one of Andy Dalton’s favorite targets but has been limited by injuries in his five seasons.
Etc.
Suspended cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has met with New York Giants coach Ben McAdoo and has been told that his suspension is indefinite. Players can be suspended a maximum of four weeks under the collective bargaining agreement . ... Denver quarterback Paxton Lynch has resumed throwing after almost seven weeks and said that he aims to return this season . ... The NFL and the Patriots, Raiders and Steelers will together contribute $200,000 to support disaster relief efforts following last month’s earthquake in Mexico City.