Ezekiel Elliott has received advice from a number of former NFL players since he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, and Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett is the latest.
On Tuesday, Dorsett told Newy Scruggs of Dallas-Fort Worth’s NBC5 that Elliott needs to start paying closer attention to the company he keeps.
“It’s like an avalanche,” the Cowboys legend said, as transcribed by Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “When it comes down it could come crushing down on you, so you’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to pick and choose your people. That’s the unfortunate part about it is the fact that there’s a lot of people when you get that stardom they want to be a part of it. They want to be seen with you. They want to do this with you. They want to do that with you.”
Dorsett, a four-time Pro Bowler, knows plenty about being an icon living among one of the most rabid fan bases in the country. He spent 11 seasons with the Cowboys, rushing for more than 12,000 yards and helping to lead the team to a Super Bowl title.
As Dorsett describes it, Elliott would benefit from learning to be more “standoffish.”
“Sometimes you got to be a little standoffish. You can be appreciative, ‘Thank you for all of this, but no I don’t want to go there. I’m not going there. I’m not going to do this,’” Dorsett said. “Plus you get caught up into positions. Then you go to a party. You don’t know these people, but some people take you to a place. You don’t know who they are, and then something goes down. The first thing they’re going to do is not going to be their names that’s splattered all over the Dallas Morning News. It’s going to be his name.”
Elliot is only 21, so he should have a long career ahead of him to sort these things out. However, the NFL could determine that he has shown a pattern of irresponsible behavior off the field, most recently with the accusations against him stemming from a bar altercation. Perhaps a suspension will be a wakeup call for Zeke.
