A couple of days after saying that a decision in the Ezekiel Elliott case is imminent, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offered further details supporting his belief.
“They have had their hearing and they have had all of the responses,” Jones told reporters on Saturday. “Everything’s in place to make a decision.”
Jones has said on multiple occasions that he believes there is no evidence Elliott engaged in domestic violence. Which means that if the league office decides he did, Jones won’t be happy.
It’s unclear who attended the hearing, or who will be resolving the situation on the league’s behalf. Deadspin.com recently reported that Commissioner Roger Goodell has had no involvement in the Elliott case. Although the policy indicates that the player will meet with a disciplinary officer, Goodell has had direct involvement in past situations of this nature, including most recently the Pacman Jones suspension.
Regardless of whether Goodell has fingerprints on the nuts and bolts of the process, it’s hard to imagine that the Elliott decision will be made without his input, especially since he’s the one who has the power to resolve the appeal. Unless he exercises his right to designate someone else to do it.