Ezekiel Elliot's six game suspension was frozen by a federal court on Friday, September 8, after the judge presiding over his domestic assault case granted the Dallas Cowboys running back the temporary restraining order that had been filed by the NFL Players Association. With the ruling, Judge Amos Mazzant ordered a preliminary injunction that could very well result in Elliot playing the full season pending the outcome of his battle with the league in court.
Earlier this week appeals officer Harold Henderson went with upholding Elliot's suspension, in spite of Elliot and the NFLPA taking the league to court over what they believe was an unfair appeals process. At issue was the fact that of the four-person advisory committee given the power to assess the claims made by accuser Tiffany Thompson, and determine whether punishment is merited; at least one advisor was found to have objected to an infraction being weighed against Elliot. The NFLPA had essentially discovered that lead investigator Kia Roberts found credibility issues with Thompson and refused to recommend any disciplinary action, however, her report is said to have been overlooked, as the league remained committed to pursuing a suspension. It was in how the integrity of the procedure was compromised, that Judge Mazzant chose to rule in Elliot's favor, for the time being.
"The Court finds, based upon the injunction standard, that Elliott was denied a fundamentally fair hearing by Henderson's refusal to allow Thompson and Goodell to testify at the arbitration hearing," Mazzant wrote of the hearing. "The NFL's breach of the collective bargaining agreement is only compounded by Henderson's breach of the CBA. Specifically, Henderson denied access to certain procedural requirements, which were necessary to be able to present all relevant evidence at the hearing."
In a statement issued in response to Friday's ruling, the league expressed its disapproval of Mazzant's findings and defended that proceedings were carried out justly. "We strongly believe that the investigation and evidence supported the commissioner's decision and that the process was meticulous and fair throughout," the league says.
