It really isn't about whether or not Jerry was selfless in sticking up for Zeke, or he was just protecting his franchise/business. The reality of the situation is that Jerry had to make the decision to stand by Zeke, or remain silent and let the situation play itself out. Jerry took the former approach and made his commitment to support Zeke known to the public. This put Jerry front and center in the fight against the NFL when the commissioner decided he was going to prosecute Zeke for something that had already been taken care of and the charges had been dismissed. Fast forward... How does Zeke repay this act? He goes out and gets in trouble again, almost gets suspended, then holds out for more money while he still has 2 years left on his current contract. Not exactly the smartest business decision on Zeke's part.
Now, I have to say that I like Zeke as a football player, but not so much as a person. So, before all of the "Zeke is the greatest running back to ever play the game" crowd starts bashing me, let me say a couple of things. Is Zeke a great running back? Yes. Does Zeke make this team better on the field? Yes Do I understand that Zeke is trying to protect his future against a devastating injury? Yes. Having said all that, Is there a better way of handling this situation? Yes. Right now, In my opinion, Zeke is acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Jerry has one of two choices on how to handle it. Discipline him and let him continue to hold out. Or, give in to his demands and expect the same thing to happen again and again. If I was Jerry, I would rather see what I have in Pollard and a running back by committee approach, than to give in to someone and set a precedence for other players to follow.
PS. Only about 99% of the English speaking world realized Jerry was joking when he said, "Zeke who?".