Ezekiel Elliott is expected to play Sunday even if an appeal decision comes Wednesday, according to a source.
Elliott currently is in a hearing in a Sherman, Texas, courtroom in an effort to block the suspension pending outcome of the lawsuit filed by Elliott on Friday.
In the first five minutes of the hearing, the NFL admitted it would not suspend Elliott in Week 1 even if arbiter Harold Henderson made his ruling this week, per a source. For years, the NFL has observed a weekly deadline when it comes to the implementation of suspensions. If the suspension isn’t finalized by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the suspension gets delayed until the next week.
The NFL began distancing itself from this past practice in the Ezekiel Elliott case, with NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reporting Monday that there is no such rule. The league, though, admitted in court that Elliott would play this week, according to the source.
That means the Cowboys will have their star running back, as they have expected all along, against their rival. The Cowboys lost to the Giants twice last season as Elliott gained 51 yards and scored a touchdown on 20 carries in the opener and had 24 carries for 107 yards on Dec. 11.