Ezekiel Elliott appeared to land himself in some hot water over the weekend when he got into a car accident and was cited for driving with a suspended license, but the Ohio State running back insists the citations resulted from a misunderstanding.
On Tuesday, Elliott told reporters that he was unaware his license was invalid.
“First and foremost, I wasn’t aware that my license was suspended. I’m doing everything I can now — and my dad is doing everything we can — to get that handled and get my license back in good standing,” the junior said, according to Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch. “I’m honestly just glad that no one was majorly injured. I’m glad that everyone’s all right. Honestly, I feel that’s the most important part.”
Elliott said he hydroplaned and lost control of his car due to “terrible” weather when he was driving to drop some luggage off before the team flight to Arizona. He hit another vehicle, and the passenger in the other car told police he was sore but had no serious injuries.
Elliott did not have his license, which had expired, with him. He showed police his passport instead.
“I lost my wallet,” he explained. “I didn’t have my license with me, but I had my passport. I still had a photo ID, just not my license.”
Elliott was cited for driving with a suspended license, driving without a license and failure to control. Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer and school officials must believe his story, because Elliott is still playing in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame. Given what Elliott said about the coaching staff earlier this season, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to not see him get the benefit of the doubt.
