Page 35 - MIN ARENDS

A18 SPORTS
Thursday 7 sepTember 2017

Elliott with Goodell during the ed. The NFLPA has blamed

Continued from Page 17 yearlong probe. the exclusion of Roberts on
NFL special counsel Lisa Fri-
Henderson said in his ruling
that the NFL complied with el, who was hired as a result
The 22-year-old Elliott de- its personal conduct policy of changes three years ago
nied the allegations in in punishing Elliott and re- in the personal conduct
sworn testimony during an jected any claims that El- policy that stiffened penal-
appeal hearing last week. liott’s attorneys presented ties in domestic cases.
He attended Tuesday’s new evidence at the ap- The changes came after
hearing in Sherman, about peal. “In a case involv- the league was sharply
65 miles (100 kilometers) ing violation of a policy, criticized for its handling of
north of Dallas, sitting qui- fair and consistent means the case involving former
etly in a suit and tie and whether the process and Baltimore running back
facing away from the au- result were in compliance Ray Rice. Nash countered
dience and mostly toward with the terms of that poli- that procedures with the
the judge. The NFL Players’ cy,” Henderson wrote. “This league’s investigation and
Association sued in federal one is, in every respect.” This Aug. 12, 2017 file photo shows Dallas Cowboys running back the appeal were “ground-
Ezekiel Elliott looking on from the sidelines during the second
court on behalf of Elliott last After Henderson’s ruling, half of a preseason NFL football game against the Los Angeles ed in policy” through the
week before Henderson the NFL filed a lawsuit ask- Rams in Los Angeles. labor deal with the players.
ruled, saying the appeal ing a federal court in New Associated Press “You can’t second-guess
hearing was “fundamen- York to enforce Elliott’s sus- three times in a span of five conclusions were based that,” Nash told Mazzant.
tally unfair” because the pension. The Southern Dis- days in a Columbus, Ohio, on photographs, text mes- Last year, Elliott missed a
running back was prevent- trict of New York falls under apartment last July result- sages and other electronic large portion of the pre-
ed from confronting his ac- the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court ing in injuries to Thomp- evidence. Kessler again season because of a ham-
cuser in the Ohio case. of Appeals, which last year son’s face, neck, shoulders, questioned why Henderson string injury before rushing
Kessler reiterated most of backed Goodell’s four- arms, hands, wrists, hips didn’t allow Thompson or for 1,631 yards and help-
the NFLPA’s arguments be- game suspension of New and knees. Goodell to testify at the ap- ing the Cowboys to a 13-3
fore Mazzant, who pressed England quarterback Tom Prosecutors in Columbus peal hearing, as did Maz- record. Dallas didn’t use
Nash for answers on the Brady over Deflategate. decided about a year ago zant. The judge seemed Elliott in the first three pre-
claim from Elliott’s legal According to the letter El- not to pursue the case in sympathetic to Kessler’s season games this year but
team that a co-lead in- liott received informing the city where Elliott starred claim that investigator Kia he had eight touches in 10
vestigator who questioned him of the suspension last for Ohio State, but the Roberts was kept out of the plays in his only series in the
Thompson’s credibility was month, the NFL believed NFL kept the investigation loop while believing that El- finale against Oakland as
left out of a key meeting he used “physical force” open. The league said its liott shouldn’t be suspend- the appeal played out.q