Being a Dallas Cowboys fan can be rough. It’s no secret. They are tied for second most Super Bowls in NFL history at five, but the last time they even played in one was back in 1995. They had a quarterback in Tony Romo who would make you jump with excitement one second and cringe the next. Fast forward to last year, when they landed their future quarterback in the fourth round of the draft in Dak Prescott. They paired him up with the 4th pick of the NFL Draft, Ezekiel Elliott. Behind that offensive line, Elliott ripped through opposing defenses on his way to the rushing title, racking up 1,631 yards and crossing the goal line 15 times as well.
Perhaps, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office should think about having Elliott accompanied by that offensive line off the field too. It was reported first yesterday morning by 105.3 The Fan’s Mike Fisher that Elliott was involved in an “altercation” at Clutch Bar in Cedar Springs, Texas Sunday night.
Whether he was a part of it or not, this will only further harm his image when it comes to the ruling NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is preparing to hand down.
Look, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that if I was in Elliott’s shoes, I wouldn’t be looking for some fun off of the field. It’s his case of work that is the problem. There is obviously the lingering domestic assault case that has been dragged over a year now. He was also photographed at a marijuana dispensary during the Cowboys pre-season visit in Seattle. Then he was videoed pulling a woman’s top down at a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Things were quiet for a while after that, and it looked like everything was coming to a close. It was reported late last week that Elliott was preparing a response to the ruling the NFL was going to be handing down. That could have been a 1-2 game suspension or maybe just a slap on the wrist.
Now this night at Clutch happens, and who knows where this goes from here. The NFL doesn’t need a police report to hand down a suspension. It’s become pretty clear that if Elliott was going to be suspended, it would be a result of ALL of his actions up to this point. Some type of ruling will be handed down and we will all carry on, but what should Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett and the rest of the front office do about Ezekiel Elliott moving forward?
You may recall that Dez Bryant found himself in some controversy a couple of times early on in his career. Back in 2012, he was involved in a domestic dispute with his mother. He was charged with a Class A misdemeanor as a result of that altercation. The Cowboys have always gone at great lengths to provide the guidance and support for their players, and Dez was no different. Royce West, former attorney of Dez Bryant’s, said that a three-man security detail was provided to Bryant in order to keep him away from those who were being a bad influence on him, as well as take him to and from the practice facility and games. There would also be the handing down of what are now known as the “Dez Rules”. Here are some of the rules, as reported by Calvin Watkins of ESPN back in 2012:
- A midnight curfew. If he’s going to miss curfew, team officials must know in advance.
- No drinking alcohol.
- He can’t attend any strip clubs and can only attend nightclubs if they are approved by the team and he has security team with him.
- He must attend counseling sessions twice a week.
- A rotating three-man security team will leave one man with Bryant at all times.
- Members of the security team will drive Bryan to practices, games and team functions.
Why not establish something similar for Elliott? Back when Bryant was having issues, the sky was the limit for him. The only thing in his way was himself. While Bryant is still a loud outspoken personality on this Cowboys team, he for the most part, stays out of trouble and helps lead the team. It’s no secret that behind the Cowboys front seven, Ezekiel Elliott’s potential is through the roof, but it’s his off the field behavior that is major cause for concern. If the Cowboys can find a way to reel him in and get his focus on the bigger picture, everyone may be able to put this blip on the radar in the rear view mirror.
For now, however, every time a Cowboys fan hears “Breaking News” and “Ezekiel Elliott” mentioned in the same sentence, we all cringe with fear of what’s next to come in that report.
Life in the fast lane can be difficult. Life in the Cowboys “Star Lane” can be even more. The time for waiting is through. Jerry and company needs to take action, before it’s too late.
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