Do the Dallas Cowboys have an Ezekiel Elliott problem? Or is it a locker room, void of veteran leadership, that is helping to create a bad environment for Elliott, as Jerome Bettis recently suggested? If you ask Jerry Jones, it's neither.
Speaking at the opening press conference for training camp on Saturday in Oxnard, Calif., Jones said that the Cowboys have a "high bar" for the people who they will allow on their roster. Jason Garrett added the team has been built on "character" guys.
Jerry Jones: "We've got a high bar here." Says Dallas Cowboys don't have tolerance for off the field issues
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 23, 2017
Jason Garrett: "We believe in Zeke Elliott as a person and as a player. ... He's not perfect. He makes mistakes. We all make mistakes."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 23, 2017
Jerry Jones on the Cowboys being able to handle their off-field mistakes: "The stronger the core is the better it can take the torpedo."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 23, 2017
Both Jones and Garrett are apparently ignoring the number of suspended pass rushers they have employed in the past several years. Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory would like a word.
Most of these inquiries are related to Elliott, who has been under investigation by the NFL for over a year now over a domestic violence allegation. The consensus in NFL circles seems to be that Elliott is going to face a suspension at some point early in the 2017 season. The league's probe is reportedly coming to an end soon..
Jones clearly does not believe Elliott should be suspended, because he said that he sees no evidence of domestic violence in Elliott's situation.
Jerry Jones on NFL's Ezekiel Elliott investigation: "There's absolutely nothing I've seen that has to do with domestic violence."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 23, 2017
Elliott's camp has strongly defended the running back for a year now.
It's possible that the actual circumstances of the incident may not ultimately matter when it comes down to punishing Elliott, however. There are reportedly owners petitioning Roger Goodell to punish the Cowboys for Elliott's off-field issues, which have mounted this offseason. Elliott was caught on camera pulling a women's top down at a parade in March and was reportedly involved in an altercation at a Dallas bar earlier in July. He's also appealing a speeding ticket for reportedly going 100 mph in a 70-mph zone in April.
But if he is as in the clear as Jones suggested, it would indicate the Cowboys second-year running back might very well end up not being suspended at all. That would be a surprising given the last several weeks of rumors and speculation.
