NFL, union trade barbs over Elliott case. Perfect season for Patriots more likely than winless Jets season.
The already contentious six-game suspension of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott took on a new intensity on Wednesday when the NFL and the NFL Players Association traded angry accusations over information related to the case.
Elliott was suspended by the NFL last week after a yearlong investigation by the league into his behavior in July 2016, when his ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Thompson, accused him of assaulting her five times in Columbus, Ohio, where he played at Ohio State.
Elliott, through the union, appealed that decision Tuesday, and his case will be heard by Harold Henderson, a league appointed arbitrator.
But on Wednesday the league took the unusual step of accusing the players union of “spreading derogatory information to the media” about Thompson, who was reported to have tried to blackmail Elliott. In its statement, the NFL, which has been loudly criticized in recent years of not understanding the needs of the victims in domestic violence cases, called the tactic “shameful.”
“Efforts to shame and blame victims are often what prevent people from coming forward to report violence and/or seek help in the first place,” the league said.
The NFLPA quickly issued its own statement, calling the league’s charge “a lie” and denying the accusations that it had leaked information about Thompson.
“This is another example of the NFL’s hypocrisy on display and an attempt to create a sideshow to distract for their own failings in the dealing with such serious issues,” the union said. “They should be ashamed for stooping to new lows.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell has been criticized for inconsistently handling a series of domestic violence cases.
In 2014, Goodell suspended the former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for two games after he knocked out his fiancée at the time. But after video of the incident was published, Goodell increased the punishment, suspending Rice indefinitely. An arbitrator overturned the indefinite suspension.
Goodell also suspended the former Carolina Panthers lineman Greg Hardy for 10 games after he was convicted of domestic abuse, a verdict that was overturned on appeal when his former girlfriend refused to testify against him. A league-appointed arbitrator also reduced his suspension to four games.
Last season, New York Giants kicker Josh Brown was suspended for only one game even though he admitted that he had abused his wife before his arrest in 2015.
The league has struggled with how or whether to penalize players accused of crimes, but not charged by the police. Under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the commissioner can penalize a player for any behavior considered detrimental to the league. The players and the union have argued in court that Goodell has abused this power.
In 2015, a federal judge agreed with the union after Goodell suspended New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for four games for claims that he had a role in a scheme to deflate footballs used in a playoff game. A federal appeals court, however, overruled that decision, and Brady was forced to sit out the first four games last season.