Ezekiel Elliott ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 15: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up on the field prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on January 15, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

On Friday, a Texas district court ruled Ezekiel Eliott’s six-game suspension won’t begin until after he’s had a chance to fight the NFL in court.

Via USA Today:

A district court judge in Texas has granted Ezekiel Elliott’s request for a temporary restraining order, which should clear the way for the Dallas Cowboys running back to remain on the field while he tries to get his six-game suspension overturned in court.

An NFL arbitrator earlier this week upheld the six-game suspension commissioner Roger Goodell gave Elliott last month for a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.

The NFL’s next move would be to appeal district judge Amos Mazzant’s ruling to a 5th circuit appeals court, but that process would take months.

This case, at this point, is as much or more about the NFLPA fighting what they perceive to be the league’s abuse of the CBA in court as it is about Elliott’s conduct, and the district court judge went as far as to call out the league’s suspension and investigative practices:

Tom Brady went through a similar process, and though he was eventually forced to serve his four-game suspension last season, he played for the entirety of 2015 while it wound through the courts. That’s looking likely for Elliott as well, all thanks to the NFL continuing to drop the ball with any kind of issue that demands the slightest bit of critical thinking.

It also ensures that we’ll be following plenty of court news as the case plays out throughout the season, and anything Elliott accomplishes on the field will be viewed through this particular prism.

Or maybe not.

[USA Today]

About Jay Rigdon

Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.