While Ezekiel Elliott continues to succeed on the football field, he is still being investigated for what he has done off the field.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is trying to defend his star player. What should upset some is the way he is going about it.
According to sources that spoke with ESPNW, during the most recent owners meeting, Jones spoke with Lisa Friel, the league’s top investigator about Elliott. During the interaction, Jones reportedly raised his voice and tried to sway her.
Jones said he recognized that investigations were her bread and butter and ended the conversation with: “Your bread and butter is going to get both of us thrown out on the street,” according to ESPN The Magazine reporter Seth Wickersham, who witnessed the encounter, which was reported by Outside the Lines. Other witnesses downplayed Jones’ intensity.
The interaction puts the league in a very awkward scenario. Why is Jones even speaking to an investigator in the first place? Having such an interaction comes off as intimidation and optically makes Jones look terrible, despite it not being technically against any rules.
Elliott may be one of the better running backs to come into the league in quite sometime, but that doesn’t excuse his alleged actions. The investigation needs to continue as it already has or the damaged integrity of the league takes another hit. Jones should know better then to interfere, and if reports are to be believed, his involvement should be seen as problematic and handled accordingly.
[ESPNW]
