NFL is prevented from enforcing Ezekiel Elliott suspension for at least two weeks

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott won’t be suspended at least through the next two games as the appeals court scheduled an Oct. 2 hearing in the case on Friday. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ordered lawyers for the NFL and those who represent Elliott from the NFL Players Association to have their filings in by Sept. 27 ahead of the hearing. Meanwhile, the injunction Elliott secured earlier this month in U.S. District Court remains in effect and the NFL is prevented from enforcing his six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations. 

“As of right now, the preliminary injunction is intact and he is clear to play,” NFL executive vice president of communications Joe Lockhart said earlier Friday in a conference call. “I’m not privy to the schedule of the Court of Appeals. If they were to say something sometime between now and Sunday, we will announce any decision that that might trigger.”

If 5th Circuit rules in favor of the NFL and reinstates Elliott’s suspension, the league holds the discretion to initiate the ban whenever it chooses.

Elliott’s case stems from a six-game suspension that was handed down after a year-long league investigation “determined that the credible evidence established that Elliott engaged in conduct that violated NFL policy.” An alleged domestic violence incident against a woman in Columbus, Ohio, in July 2016 led to the league’s investigation.

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Elliott was neither arrested nor charged for the incident. USA TODAY Sports does not identify alleged victims of domestic violence.

Elliott appealed the decision, and after NFL-appointed arbitrator Harold Henderson upheld Elliott’s suspension, the NFL Players Association filed a lawsuit on Elliott’s behalf in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Judge Amos L. Mazzant ruled in favor of Elliott and overturned his suspension, citing “unique and egregious facts” from the case that required “court intervention.”

The NFL then appealed Elliott’s case to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, where it now stands.

The NFL had previously indicated that it would not suspend a player past Tuesday of a game week due to game-planning concerns, but Lockhart’s comments create more uncertainty for the Cowboys (1-1), who must now wait for the court to issue its ruling.

Elliott has run the ball 33 times this season for 112 yards with no touchdowns and has also caught nine passes for 50 yards. He is coming off Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos in which he posted career lows in carries (nine) and yards (eight).

The Cowboys travel to Phoenix to face the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.

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