Ezekiel Elliott Wins One on the Road; Suspension Stayed Again
Former New York Jets coach famously put it in simple terms:
You play to win the game!
If you're an athlete -- especially if six of your sixteen paychecks are on the line -- that competitive nature just doesn't go away beyond the white lines.
Even more so when you think you've got a case.
Amazingly, it's never been objective determined whether or not Ezekiel Elliott has one or not.
- The pertinent legal authorities didn't think there was enough evidence to charge him with domestic abuse, but
- Hizzhonor Roger Goodell thinks he doesn't, possibly basing his unilateral conclusion on North Korean law, but
- A federal court in Texas said it wasn't sure Elliott got a shot at a fair hearing on procedural grounds, and then
- That court decided that until Elliott's side got its procedural act together, the suspension should be lifted.
Well, it's not over.
In what constitutes a mild surprise, Elliott's legal dudes went to The Shield's favorite real court -- the federal Southern District of New York -- and got another stay.
This court issued its stay for the same reason the Texas court did.
Procedural workings should be given time for resolution so the actual case can be heard.
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The immediate effect, of course, is Elliott will be on the field this weekend when the Cowboys meet the 49ers in Santa Clara.
Clearly, no rational human condones abuse, but in the USA, the task of getting to an incident's actual facts is a court's responsibility.
If the NFL is that steadfast in its findings, it should await meting out punishment until a court comes to a decision.
How obvious is that, anyway?
Maybe those bright lights at The Shield should spend more time and the bundles of bucks they make on doing more for players whose heads hurt.