Jerry Jones said he has talked to Ezekiel Elliott about Elliott’s latest off-field incident but not to anyone at the NFL about a possible suspension for the star running back.
“First of all, I haven’t spoken to anyone at the NFL, but I have detail, some detail. More to get,” Jones said Tuesday at a press conference for the topping off for the Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at The Star. “Certainly as you can imagine, and I appreciate why, but probably could count the way things are, and so I’ll be getting more detail and will be commenting on if there’s any comment from me, which you need in the future.”
In other words, in eight minutes of questions, Jones said little about Elliott’s alleged involvement in a disturbance at a Dallas bar on Sunday night. He has press conferences scheduled the next two days so he will have to continue to answer questions about Elliott as the Cowboys prepare to depart for training camp Saturday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week, before Elliott’s latest off-field headline, that Elliott was bracing for a suspension to start the season. Jones, who as recently as March said he expected the NFL to clear Elliott, was not as emphatic in his answers regarding a possible suspension for Elliott.
“I actually don’t know the status, but I surely don’t want to speculate about any decisions from the league or any potential injury or lack of having a player available,” Jones said. “Availability is a key. Ability is a key. But availability is a key, and we really do plan personnel-wise, we plan for a player not being available. That’s just part of our DNA.”
Jones said Elliott, who led the league in rushing last season, still is adjusting to the spotlight that comes with being a star NFL player.
“I know that and I can say first hand that developing an awareness of where you are with the visibility that is involved today is in and of itself a learning, evolving thing,” Jones said. “People who have been in the public eye for years and years are having to rethink about how they are and how they approach the public eye. So it’s not just someone that’s recent to the public eye, as you well know, because of his style, personality, it’s like a rock star wherever he goes as far as potential. That anybody that thinks about it but certainly anybody that’s experienced that knows that takes some getting used to to have to learn many aspects of that. So certainly Zeke is evolving and being subject to needing to learn how to deal with the media and social media the way it is today.”