With Adam Schefter’s report that Ezekiel Elliott will receive a six-game suspension, NFL players have been put on notice.
There will be no sanctuary for players accused of domestic violence.
Elliott was accused of domestic violence last July in Columbus. This September, the city attorney of Columbus declined to pursue domestic violence charges because of “conflicting and inconsistent information.” So, while Elliott faces no criminal charges, he still finds himself staring down the barrel of Roger Goodell’s gun.
With his six game suspension, the league is setting a very dangerous precedent.
NFL athletes, who are already targeted for their money, now have even more to worry about.
Consider the Lions’ own Tavon Wilson, who was recently accused of assaulting the mother of his child last May in Washington, D.C. Wilson was not arrested in the 2016 incident. The mother of his child, Alanda Jackson, was. Nevertheless, she’s now suing Wilson for $2,500,000. Will Wilson be subjected to a suspension before he has his day in court?
Commissioner Goodell claimed that a thorough investigation ensures fairness to players, but how would any suspension – much less one spanning six games – be fair to Elliott?
This would be little more than Roger Goodell attempting to atone for the sins of his past. Fans were outraged by the respective one- and two-game bans for proven abusers Josh Brown and Ray Rice. It seems that the only reasonable response, in Roger’s mind, is to martyr a star. Elliott is about to die on the altar in the name of our beloved commissioner.
And if a glorified kangaroo court headed by a self-described Giants diehard is willing to convict a young star in one of the league’s biggest markets, nobody is safe.
If he’s indeed suspended for six games, Elliott stands to forfeit $559,000-plus in game checks. This opens players up to a new type of extortion scheme – accuse them of a crime, and let the witch-burners of the league office do the rest.
I absolutely loathe the Cowboys, and I think Ezekiel Elliott has acted like a jackass for much of his NFL career. But, this is a matter of principle. The NFL should not convict and punish players where attorneys and grand juries will not. Nobody should want this; this is Pandora’s box.
First they came for Tom Brady, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Patriots fan.
Then they came for Ezekiel Elliott, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Cowboys fan.
Then they came for a Packers player, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Packers fan.
Then they came for a Lions player – and there was no one left to speak for them.
