The Elliott suspension has been upheld by Harold Henderson, but the timing of the ruling combined with no word on the Restraining Order requested by the NFLPA means Elliott will be allowed to play in week one. This, once again, makes the NFL look silly as they cannot seem to get anything right. A simple appeal of a suspension would have been one thing, but they did such a terrible job of this that they have ended up in court waiting for a judge to issue or deny a temporary restraining order against any suspension.
As a fan, it is getting old
The NFL does not seem to do anything in the simplest way possible, and they have created such a terrible image for themselves that we all assume something will go sideways the moment they begin an investigation.
They wasted so much time on this investigation that they drug it into this season, and now they must answer questions about why someone whom they think committed an act of domestic violence is playing in week one when his suspension has been upheld. The answers are clear, but the NFL cannot simply explain away its inability to get these things right.
The next step is unclear
Elliott could be given a restraining order against a suspension, and that would allow him to play until the courts decide if the NFL can suspend him at all. That is a complex process that I cannot speak on because I am not a lawyer. What we do know is that it will take a long time. The legal process is jammed onto a docket with many other court cases, and the federal judge who may end up hearing this does not care how long it takes for the case to be heard.
Because of this, the NFL could be dealing with this problem for a long time.
No restraining order
If the Cowboys and NFLPA do not get a restraining order, Elliott will serve his suspension starting in week two. That would end the discussion about his suspension, but it would not end the discussion about how the NFL does its business.
The courts may not see a reason to stop them, but the system seems to be very broken. The NFL has shown that they cannot be consistent enough to avoid going to court over every little thing.
Ego has trumped common sense
Roger Goodell has such a big ego about his place at the top of the NFL that he seems to wield his power like a drunken king.
It appears that he simply flings about suspensions given the mood he is in, and he is more than willing to go to court with the NFLPA because he has a strong distaste for them. That is not how you run a business, and if any of us did that we would be bankrupt.
