Ezekiel Elliott is expected to file an appeal of his six-game suspension this week, and the Dallas Cowboys running back’s attempt to get the ban reduced or overturned will center on trying to call his ex-girlfriend’s credibility into question.
Elliott was suspended after the NFL announced that its investigation found “credible evidence” that the 22-year-old got physical with ex-girlfriend Tiffany Thompson roughly a year ago. According to documents obtained by Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram, Thompson told Elliott in text messages that she is going to “ruin (his) life.” Elliott also claims he is certain Thompson told him, “You are a black male athlete. I’m a white girl. They are not going to believe you.”
While the NFL is almost certainly aware of those details from the case, highlighting them will likely be the basis of Elliott’s defense. His representatives could also call attention to an incident report Elliott filed on Sept. 5, 2016 alleging that Thompson was harassing him. Documents that were obtained by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com show that Elliott complained of receiving “50-plus” phone calls from Thompson in a roughly eight-hour span. Elliott says he answered when Thompson called from a blocked number and told her she is not supposed to be contacting him.
Elliott also told police that Thompson hacked into his email account to obtain phone numbers and call people he had been in contact with to say “untruthful things that can hurt his image.”
Many of these details likely played a role in why prosecutors decided to not file charges against Elliott, but it would be a surprise if any of this information is news to the NFL after a year of investigating. No matter what Elliott’s father says about the six-game suspension, the chances of it being reduced or overturned are not great.
