![Ezekiel Elliott and Dallas Cowboys [Image by Keith Allison / Flickr]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/10/18/660x290/b_502x220x82/ezekiel-elliott-and-dallas-cowboys-image-by-keith-allison-flickr_1638265.jpg "Ezekiel Elliott and Dallas Cowboys [Image by Keith Allison / Flickr]")
Ezekiel Elliott was able to play in the Dallas Cowboys first five games of the 2017 NFL season thanks to an appeal with the federal court system concerning unfair treatment by the NFL in his punishment hearing. After an appellate judge found in favor of the NFL, the suspension was reinstated starting this week but now another federal judge has changed the ruling once again.
The new Ezekiel Elliott suspension decision
U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty granted a restraining order against the NFL upholding the Ezekiel Elliott suspension on Tuesday. This means that Elliott will be on the field this Sunday as the Dallas Cowboys take on the San Fransisco 49ers.
While the Cowboys were favored to beat the 49ers even without Elliott, this could push his suspension into tougher games later in the season if the NFL wins out again.
The original restraining order of the Ezekiel Elliott suspension came from a Texas court injunction. This new ruling comes from a federal judge and there will be a new hearing in front of the presiding judge, Katherine Polk Failla. According to the federal judge, there is "sufficient reason" to continue the hearings.
The NFL placed Elliott on the suspended list last Friday during the Dallas Cowboys bye week and then barred him from the training facility on Tuesday. Thanks to the new ruling, Ezekiel will be back on the practice field on Wednesday.
The new date to determine the case will be Oct. 30 although the NFLPA has pledged to fight the suspension even after that.
The NFL vs. NFLPA
The Ezekiel Elliott suspension is likely to be the straw the broke the camel's back when it comes to the relationship between the NFL and NFLPA. The NFL refused to allow the NFLPA to interview the alleged victim or an NFL investigator who determined that a suspension was not warranted in this case.
It seems the NFL wanted one decision and blocked any way of the NFLPA to uncover the truth.
Even Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones conceded that this was not a fair hearing. Jones, who is realistically on the side of the NFL, said that even if the league was doing the right thing, the way they go about it will always cast doubt on the fact that they are doing something wrong.
The same thing happened in the suspensions of Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, and a large number of New Orleans Saints players.
The CBA expires in 2021 and the Ezekiel Elliot suspension might be a large part of the reason that the NFLPA will strike to force power away from the NFL commissioner when it comes to suspending players and also serving as the arbitrator in the cases.
