Jerry & Zeke & Lawsuits & The NFL: A Zillion-Dollar Snake Eating Its Own Tail
By Mike Fisher
FRISCO (105.3 The Fan) - I have written before in this space that our beloved NFL has reduced itself to being "six days of brush fires followed by one day of water bucket, and then six days of brush fires followed by one day of water bucket …''
So it is again today as Dallas Cowboys news isn't really about football … but more about running back Ezekiel Elliott's legal fight, and, in a related matter, about owner Jerry Jones' legal fight, too.
Elliott is scheduled to be in New York to attend his Thursday hearing at the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a personal change of plan for him that means he will miss Thursday's practice.
"It's a strong likelihood that he will not be here," coach Jason Garrett said, and "that he could be in New York. If he is not we will proceed with the other guys. If he is, he will obviously practice."
We're told Elliott is going to New York tonight and plans to return Thursday night, with the intent of practicing at The Star on Friday in preparation for Sunday's game at Atlanta — that is, if the court rules that the No. 2 rusher in the NFL can do so.
Meanwhile, Elliott's fight with his own league has obviously ruffled the feathers of his boss, Jerry Jones. Reports of his disgruntlement with NFL leadership — and maybe even a lawsuit against that leadership — should not be a surprise, given Jerry's frequent comments on the subject to 105.3 The Fan. Our understanding is that Jones' isn't as much "blocking'' commissioner Roger Goodell's new contract as he is wishing to "control'' it. But whichever side one falls on (and obviously, most of Cowboys Nation is pro-Elliott and anti-Goodell here), one thing is clear:
The refreshing reprieves come ever Sunday. But then on Monday through Saturday, the brush fires begin again. And the NFL is less about football than ever before. It's business cannibalism, or worse, a zillion-dollar snake eating its own tail.
