Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will be able to play in Week 9 after all. The NFLPA's request for a brief administrative stay was granted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, allowing Elliott to play this Sunday before his request for an injunction pending the result of his full appeal is heard.
Elliott and the NFLPA filed the request for a stay as part of a motion for an expedited hearing on his request for an injunction blocking the suspension until his appeal is heard. It is important to note that what was granted by the court was Elliott's request for a brief administrative stay (as opposed to the actual injunction or a ruling in Elliott's favor wiping out the suspension entirely), which means that for now, he is only eligible to play this Sunday. A determination on whether he will be eligible to play during the next stage of his appeal will not be made until the court rules on his request for an injunction, which will likely happen next week.
Last week Judge Katherine Failla denied Elliott a preliminary injunction to his six-game suspension, the punishment handed down by the NFL due to domestic abuse allegations. Elliott was previously granted a temporary restraining order from the suspension based on questions over fundamental fairness and irreparable harm.
WFAA sports reporter Mike Leslie says Friday's stay isn't granted based on the merits of the case, but on a "we need time to review this" basis by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.
The 22-year-old Elliott was suspended in August after the league concluded following a yearlong investigation that he had several physical confrontations in the summer of 2016 with Tiffany Thompson, his girlfriend at the time. The suspension was for six games.
Dallas plays the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
