The ongoing legal battle between the NFL and Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott may have found a way to get just a bit uglier. The NFLPA, on behalf of the suspended running back, has filed for a restraining order to block the suspension on the argument the NFL’s appeals process is “fundamentally unfair.”
According to Adam Schefter and Dan Graziano of ESPN, the NFLPA is citing new facts revealed from hearings this week to build their case to file for the restraining order in the Eastern District of Texas. The 30-page petition filed overnight has caused quite the stir with regard to the Elliott suspension, and this is not going away quietly by any stretch of the imagination.
From the ESPN report;
“During the course of the past 13 months and culminating in the last three days of the appeal process, we have witnessed some of the most egregious violations of legal due process in connection with the NFL’s investigation of Mr. Elliott,” read a statement from Elliott’s attorneys Frank Salzano and Scott Rosenblum. “Not only did the underlying facts not support the false allegations made against Mr. Elliott, but the process in which they were gathered and adjudicated were fundamentally unfair. Mr. Elliott looks forward to being completely vindicated and will continue to explore all other legal options to redress the reputational and monetary harm that he has suffered.”
It is the NFLPA’s argument that Kia Wright Roberts, the NFL’s director of investigations, testified that she would not have advised any discipline for Elliott after being the only employee of the league to interview Elliott’s accuser. The NFLPA claims Roberts said she was not allowed to contact NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Here we go again: NFLPA vs NFL, this time over Ezekiel Elliott. pic.twitter.com/XAoeR3FpNV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2017
“The withholding of this critical information from the disciplinary process was a momentous denial of the fundamental fairness required in every arbitration and, of course, does not satisfy federal labor law’s minimal due process requirements,” the union wrote.
But the league is standing firm on its stance and saying unequivocally that any suggestion the league conspired to keep Goodell and Roberts separated is not true.
“I can tell you without any hesitation that this is false,” NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It’s categorically false that the information was kept from the Commissioner.”
The timing of this all is especially important to note. With a holiday weekend upon us, there is a strong possibility that no progress is made on this case until Tuesday. As you surely know, the NFL season kicks off next weekend, and that means this story is about to hover over the start of the NFL’s season. And as of now, Elliott remains suspended.
If the NFLPA has its way, the league will have a massive scrambled egg on its shield in ways far more controversial than the New England Patriots and deflated footballs provided.
