NFL Petitions For Stay, Claiming 'Public Interest' In Elliott Suspension

DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) - The NFL on Friday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to grant an emergency stay request in the Ezekiel Elliott case designed to enforce its six-game suspension of the Dallas Cowboys star starting next week.

The league is essentially asking the Fifth Circuit to usurp the temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction issued last week by U.S. Court Judge Amos Mazzant that, if upheld, likely locks the case into the courtroom for months, meaning Elliott would remain on the field during the 2017 season.

The reason the Elliott/NFLPA side believes the Fifth Court will not grant the emergency stay? The NFL is claiming it will "suffer irreparable harm'' with Elliott on the field and with the stay not granted … yet Elliott played last week against the Giants and is playing this week at Denver with no "irreparable harm'' to show.

The NFL counters by claiming its in "the public's interest'' to have Elliott serve his suspension now.

In his decision last week, Mazzant agreed with the NFLPA and Elliott that the player didn't receive a "fundamentally fair hearing before the arbitrator'' in the league's investigation and ruling of guilt of domestic violence accusations that have been denied by Elliott.

"Just kind of your name getting dragged through the mud,'' Elliott said recently when addressing the worst part of the case. "It's been 14 months. Just kind of being associated with that, that's tough."

There is no set timetable for a decision on the stay, though the NFL has requested a Sept. 26 deadline.

READ: 5th Circuit Court filing by NFL (33 pages) 

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