Ezekiel Elliott: Cowboys running back’s 6-game suspension is potentially back on

The Cowboys aren’t having a great bye week. Dallas is 2-3 after losing to the Green Bay Packer. Their playoff odds have dropped to under 19%. Jerry Jones angered his players with his recent comments about the national anthem. And now there’s been a major development in the on-going Ezekiel Elliott distraction.

The latest motion in Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL Players Association’s legal battle with the NFL has been decided. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans sided with the NFL and granted a stay for the injunction that was delaying Elliott’s six-game suspension, according to the Associated Press.

The court sided with the NFL in a split decision because it determined that the district court that issued the stay did not have subject matter jurisdiction, according to Gabe Feldman, the director of Tulane University’s sports law program. The appellate court also ordered the district court to dismiss the case filed by Elliott’s representatives, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said.

In simple terms: Elliott’s 6-game suspension is potentially back on and could start to be enforced as soon as Dallas returns from their bye in Week 7.

Now, this dispute might not be over yet. Elliott is expected to fight this latest decision so it’s possible he’s able to stay on the field in the meantime.

But if his appeal is unsuccessful, Elliott could miss the following six games:

Week 7 - at San Francisco 49ers

Week 8 - at Washington Redskins

Week 10 - vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 11 - at Atlanta Falcons

Week 12 - vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 13 - vs. Los Angeles Chargers

As you can see, one of those six games is against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys are already off to a bad start in 2017. Losing Elliott, who currently ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing yards, would only make matters worse for Dallas as they try to bounce back.

2017 isn’t treating the Cowboys so kindly and that’s great for the Eagles.