Cowboys Running Back Ezekiel Elliott: "I'm Not An Abuser"

Josh Clark and Mike Fisher contributed to this report

DALLAS (105.3 The Fan/AP) - At 8:58 a.m. on Friday morning, Ezekiel Elliott got a phone call from his agent telling him to get to practice.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York had just temporarily blocked a lower-court ruling that required Elliott to begin serving a six-game suspension.

The NFL Players Association had asked the appeals court to let Elliott play Sunday while it considers the union's appeal.

After practice Friday, Elliott was asked if he ever came close to accepting the suspension and move on.

"No. This is bigger than a suspension ... this is bigger than football ... (this is) them trying to make me into someone I'm not," Elliott said. "I'm not an abuser. That's not who I am. That's my name, it's my reputation. It's something I'll have to live with beyond football, so every day is worth fighting."

A three-judge panel from the Second Circuit Court will hear Elliott's request for an injunction next week to determine if he'll begin serving his suspension.

According to the brief, the Second Circuit Court made it clear that this ruling has no bearing on the court's consideration of the emergency injunction next week.

Later Friday, an NFL spokesman said the running back's suspension could carry over into the playoffs despite the wording in Commissioner Roger Goodell's letter to Elliott informing him of his suspension. In the letter sent to Elliott and his lawyers, it stated he would be suspended for "six-regular season games."

When asked what he thought about the NFL's opinion on the matter, Elliott indicated that he wouldn't go quietly if it came down to that.

"I think they're going to have to do whatever they said in the papers," Elliott said.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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• Jerry Jones
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• Ezekiel Elliott