Ezekiel Elliott got some fantastic news as he will likely be able to play the entire season after his injunction against the NFL was granted. Elliott will be able to play all year because the legal process will have a similar timeline to Tom Brady's that took almost an entire year. The NFLPA has chimed in now and has made their position quite clear on what they think about the office commissioner Roger Goodell is running around here:
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Here is the entire letter if you find it too small to read:
Statement on Ruling on Temporary Restraining Order in Ezekiel Elliott Case:
Commissioner discipline will continue to be a distraction from our game for one reason: because NFL owners have refused to to collectively bargain a fair and transparent process that exists in other sports. This "imposed" system remains problematic for players and the game, but as the honest and honorable testimony of a few NFL employees recently revealed, it also demonstrates the continued lack of integrity within their own League office.
The judge who was on the case said that Elliott "was denied a fundamentally fair hearing" by the NFL. He also acknowledged that the facts in the case were "egregious" among other flaws.
Original investigator recommended no suspension
According to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (H/T PFT), the league's lead investigator Kia Roberts recommended no suspension and testified that during an appeal hearing following interviews with Elliott's ex-girlfriend.
To make matters worse, Roberts' recommendation never made it into the league's final report, didn't make it into the official suspension letter and she was reportedly banned from attending the meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell by senior vice president of investigations Lisa Friel where they discussed punishment for Elliott.
It was knowledge of Roberts' recommendation and reported assurance from an NFL exec that left team owner Jerry Jones "furious" after the decision, according to the report.
So you can see why the association that was created to protect players from the league and harsh punishments is upset with this one. They have basically come out and said that the League is not acting in good faith and taking advantage of a system that the owners collectively bargained for without the players really in mind.
