Ezekiel Elliott will play this weekend
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will play Sunday against the Washington Redskins. A federal judge refused to speed up a hearing in his case.
A sports law attorney said there is now pressure on the NFL to settle the case, perhaps reducing Elliott’s six-game suspension.
“He’s sitting with the most leverage he’s ever had right now,” said Daniel Wallach, a sports law attorney.
Elliott and the NFL Players Association complain he was never allowed to confront the ex-girlfriend who accused him of domestic violence.
“This can actually in a really subtle way end up rewriting the NFL’s domestic violence policy by requiring the accuser to show up and participate in the arbitration.,” Wallach said. “That is a very dangerous precedent and could create a chilling effect for witnesses to come forward.”
A court order that lets him play expires next week. The judge is expected to decide after a full hearing whether to allow him to play or permit him to be suspended.