Ezekiel Elliott: The Right Kind of Guy?

Ezekiel Elliott is a 21-year-old millionaire, lives a lifestyle very few 21 years old can live. Not many 21 year olds are going to uptown Dallas and are able to spend 15k on any given night. Elliott won a national championship at Ohio state, was drafted number four overall in the 2016 NFL draft to Americas Team. His college coach Urban Meyer called Elliott the best player he has ever coached.

Coming out of college there were questions on what type of professional he would be. Ezekiel’s own dad had questions about him and his ability to handle his fame.

“My biggest worry is….I do not believe my son knows how to navigate life as a superstar.” His father Stacy told ESPN. He went on to say, “he’s like a little boy who wants to play football and have fun and enjoy life. He’s a happy guy. But this world is not.”

In college, Zeke was cited for driving on a suspended license after getting into a car accident.

His college roommate and very close friend, now Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa ended up moving into his own apartment his final year at Ohio State, a move that Bosa says Elliott is not the reason he moved. When asked about moving into a one bedroom apartment, Bosa said “I just thought separating myself –not from Zeke, but just pretty much everybody in general and being able to control who goes in and out of my life would be a smart idea.”

While Zeke was putting up monster numbers as a rookie in 2016, he still managed to party and run uptown in Dallas. He wasn’t the only Cowboys rookie doing so, Dak Prescott was also there living it up, which is not unlike back in the 90s when Michael Irvin had his running mate Emmitt Smith. You never hear those stories because much like Emmitt, Dak knows once a certain time comes; it’s time to go home.

Let’s take a look at Zeke off the field since being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.

July 22, 2016 – TMZ obtains a police report where Elliott was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. According to the report the cops spoke with four witnesses, which all told police they did not see an assault. Text message was also later released where the ex girlfriend would ruin Elliott if he left her.	March 19, 2017 – Elliott at a yacht party that gets searched by Coast guard.
August 25, 2016 – Elliott spotted at a weed dispensary in Seattle – Elliott later said he was just curious – and while Elliott didn’t buy anything, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was very unhappy, “it’s not good, it’s just not good. It’s just not good,” Jerry said.	April 2017 – Elliott was given a speeding ticket for going 100 in a 70, which Elliott is appealing.
January 2017 – Elliott involved a  accident before playoff game against Green Bay	May 2017 – involved in another car accident – forces him to miss most of OTAs as precaution.
February 2017 – Elliott was talked to by police in Columbus, OH outside a club. He spoke with police for a few minutes before being cleared to leave.	July 14th, 2017 – ESPNs Adam Schefter reports that Zeke and his camp are preparing for a 1-2 game suspension. Later that night according to Mike Fisher from 105.3 the fan, Elliott kicks off his weekend of partying in Dallas
March 13, 2017 – Elliott exposes woman’s breast at St. Patty’s Day parade.	July 17th, 2017- Elliott allegedly punched a DJ. Mike Fisher has reported that Elliott was seen leaving the bar three times on camera between 5 and 9pm, only to turn back around and enter the bar again.
March 17, 2017 – Elliott seen partying in Miami with rapper Meek Mill.	July 19th, 2017 – After several unsuccessful attempts to contact the victim, the Dallas police department suspends the case from alleged bar incident.

 

FOMO

Close friends to Elliott say he has this condition, they say Elliott has this Fear Of Missing Out and that Elliott must be where the action is at all times.

What do these events and FOMO mean for Elliott in the NFLs eyes?

While some of the events seem like they aren’t a big deal to the public eye, these are all things that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is taking a look at and a big reason why an investigation is still open for Elliott even though none of these events have led to an arrest for Elliott or even found Elliott guilty in the court of law. Ezekiel will probably find himself off the field the first handful of the 2017 season, Goodell has proven throughout his tenure as commissioner he doesn’t necessarily need “proof” or even consistency when it comes to suspensions.

The Ray Rice case and the Josh Brown case are just two cases that come to mind. In Rice’s case, the NFL knew that Ray Rice had punched his wife, but did not act and suspend Rice for two games until the video was released and the NFL was on the hot seat from a perception stand point.

Josh Brown only received a one game suspension after Brown himself admitted that he abused his wife.

Can Jason Garrett afford to punish Ezekiel Elliott?

Coach Jason Garrett always preaches about the “right kind of guys,” but what happens when your star “rockstar” running back may not be that guy? Does Garrett have the power to punish Zeke? I think you and I both know the answer to that question which means you have to live with it and hope that he grows up and starts making better decisions off the field so Elliott can stay out of trouble and stay on the field.

How do the Cowboys view Elliott after all of these events?

Jerry Jones spoke with the media earlier this week where Jerry stated he had talked with Zeke about the most recent incident, but has not spoken with the NFL. Jones also said that Elliott is a “rockstar” and still learning how to handle that status.

The Cowboys still believe in their star running back, but a time is going to come where this 21-year-old that just wants to have fun realizes that he can have fun without the trouble or ask himself is all the off field stuff worth risking his career.

Former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo believes Elliott will turn it around. Romo in an interview with Ben and Skin, “he’s just trying to find his way; I think he is going to be fine.”

At the end of the day, a lot of people cannot relate to Elliott, no one is telling him as a 21, soon to be 22 year old; he can’t party or go out, but speaking on behalf of Cowboys nation, please slow down!