Ezekiel Elliott cannot possibly have his suspension reduced in any significant way, and I believe that the NFL has something on him or thinks they know something. The league does not have the burden of proof that the court system has, and they can tell Elliott, "you must have done something." They will tell the Cowboys to accept this suspension, and it will be time for Elliott actually to rehabilitate his image.
Elliott is too good to leave behind
Jerry Jones has said that the players he thinks are gifted enough for second chances will receive as many second chances as they need.
He has made it clear that he will continue to give the second chances to Elliott because he is so critical to the Cowboys offense. The team is standing behind Elliott even though it looks as though something untoward happened, and I think that Jerry Jones needs to stand back and realize that his team cannot afford the public backlash of being so forgiving of players who do so much wrong.
The suspension should stand
I believe that the suspension will stand, and I think that the NFL wants to send a message because they continually mess these things up. They are causing problems for themselves because they do not apply the rules to the players in the same manner. Somehow, the NFL suspended Elliott six games, but Ray Rice initially got two.
The next person could get a four game suspension, but we could never know. They will continually shoot themselves in the foot while their players break the rules knowing there is a chance they could get lucky.
Who is to blame?
Everyone is to blame for this situation. Many people played a part in this situation. The league did not properly apply the rules, and the Cowboys did not allow the league to simply investigate the case.
The league took far too long to figure out what was going on, and Elliott needs to learn how to respect women. The last piece is the most important because he has a pattern of behavior that shows he does not treat women in a way that we would consider appropriate.
I want to see Elliott suspended simply because I do not think he should be playing.
He is the kind of player who was hoping to get by on his athletic talent, and it has caught up with him in the largest forum possible. I know that he will be very good when he comes back to the Cowboys, but he needs to know that the next slip-up could be even worse than this one. Perhaps the league will change their policies, and Elliott could miss a whole season. Would Jerry keep him around then?