Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL Players Association have been granted a TRO and preliminary injunction against the NFL by Federal Judge Amos Mazzant. These allow Elliott to keep playing, postponing his six-game suspension while the full legal process plays out.
BREAKING: Judge Amos Mazzant III grants Ezekiel Elliott's temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.#Cowboys #NFL pic.twitter.com/s9c1L0t8xG
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) September 8, 2017
BREAKING: Ezekiel Elliott wins injunction from Texas court. NFL barred from imposing suspension for duration of lawsuit (likely all season).
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) September 8, 2017
Elliott was already cleared by the NFL to play in the Cowboys’ season opener this Sunday against the New York Giants. On Tuesday, Judge Mazzant forced the NFL to confirm Elliott’s status before Harold Henderson had ruled on the appeal Zeke filed with the league. With the appeal undecided, the NFL had to make Zeke eligible according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement’s rules for appeal cases.
Now, this suspension of the suspension will continue while Elliott and the union’s lawsuit against the NFL proceeds. As we saw with Tom Brady in 2015, the process could keep Elliott active for the entire season. That is the current projection, though the NFL has its own option to appeal Mazzant’s decision.
It’s a victory for now, but we may quickly find ourselves back in the waiting game.
