Tyreek Hill has yet to be summoned to the principal’s office. Ezekiel Elliott is headed there tomorrow.
Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports that Elliott will meet with Goodell on Tuesday. Elliott has once again landed on the league’s radar screen in the aftermath of an incident at a Las Vegas music festival, where Elliott had a confrontation that resulted in a security guard falling, possibly with a nudge/shove/elbow from Elliott.
As a prior offender under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy, Elliott faces enhanced penalties, if the league concludes that he committed another violation. In 2017, the NFL suspended Elliott six games in the aftermath of an allegation of domestic violence for which he was never arrested, charged, or even sued in civil court.
It was, frankly, a Keystone Cops investigation and a kangaroo court proceeding, with one of the investigators recommending no suspension and having her voice thereafter frozen out of the process. But that doesn’t change the end result -- the league suspended Elliott, and he served the six games. If he violates the policy again, he’s a repeat offender, period.
Then there’s the fact that Elliott fought the issue in court, successfully obtaining an order that delayed the start of the suspension. Even though Big Shield ultimately won, Elliott made the mistake of tugging on Superman’s cape. Throw in the fact that the incident sparked a failed effort by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (with an assist from Papa John) to topple Goodell, and the Commissioner’s revenge could be a dish served colder than a refrigerated slice of John Schnatter’s signature product.
Still, whatever Goodell does now to Elliott (along with what Goodell did two years ago) rightfully will be compared to whatever Goodell does to Hill. And if there’s a disparity between the outcomes, fans of the Cowboys and of Elliott will have good cause to react badly.