Dallas Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott suspended 6 games after controversial domestic violence investigation


The Dallas Cowboys' star running back, Ezekiel Elliott, has been suspended for six games by the NFL after being accused by an ex-girlfriend of domestic violence in July 2016, ESPN reports.
The Columbus, Ohio, City Attorney's Office had declined to pursue domestic violence charges against Elliott last year, citing "conflicting and inconsistent information." Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has defended Elliott and told ESPN he is "furious" about the decision.
In their official statement, the NFL said league investigators "examined all evidence, including photographic and digital evidence, thousands of text messages, and other records of electronic communication." Bleacher Report notes that "despite the lack of legal ramifications, the NFL holds the right to punish players even without charges due to its personal conduct policy."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Elliott is expected to appeal; if he does not, his suspension will run from Sept. 2 through Oct. 23. Read the full statement below. Jeva Lange
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
September 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Friday’s political cartoons include the GOP and Donald Trump with a Jeffrey Epstein problem and diseases flocking to Florida
-
Quit-smoking ads are being put out
Under the radar The dissolution of a government-funded campaign could lead to more smokers in the future
-
China's new weapons of war
The Explainer Beijing parade was a 'direct message to us all'
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play