MMQB - How Ezekiel Elliott Could Cut Two Games Off Suspension, Sue Roger Goodell and NFL for Defamat

[khiladi]

Wait, the NFL ignored key evidence in the Wells Report including the fact Brady, the defendant, destroyed his cell phone, meaning evidence, in laying down his suspension as proof that it was similar to Zeke, the defendant’s, case regarding the plaintiff totally ignoring witnesses that could exonerate him?

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

If you are innocent you fight to the end.

Some people dont get that simple point.

 

[SultanOfSix]

You mean like how OJ Simpson if fighting to find the real killers of his ex wife and her friend???

I don't know what happened between Zeke and his Ex, but both seem to have issues.....I wasn't there and neither were you, but he's not fighting for whether he's innocent or not, that's the big mistake people on this forum seem to be making.....that's not before the court, he's only fighting to play on a denied procedural process....nothing more!

This is effectively a silly write off.

Whether he can play or not is based on him being found "guilty" of DV by the kangaroo court of the NFL which is what they suspended him for under the PC policy. Of course he's fighting to play, but he's doing so by fighting the claim of what is denying him the ability to play.

 

[Seven]

What else might he say? "I'm doing this so that I don't lose my guaranteed money?"

Who's responsible for that guaranteed money?

 

[BAT]

The public perception of guilt is a done deal, no matter what Zeke does.

Just go to fan boards of other teams and ask them what they think. The overwhelming majority will tell you he's guilty and many will say he's getting off easy.

That will never change.

That opinion is whimsical but it will be cemented if he does not fight. I believe he's been quite clear on why he's so adamant to fight to the end, his motivation and his responses have not wavered.

 

[lkelly]

The pretrial discovery exercise almost certainly makes a civil suit a non-starter for Zeke. While he (and others) may enjoy seeing Rog deposed, the NFL will go to town on Zeke's private life. If anyone here believes that he doesn't have skeletons galore to hide, then I have some Deion tackling video to sell you.

Zeke should indeed hire a publicist. He should have some time ago. Players like Mike Vick had rehabilitated their images and to be honest the sports world isn't that penal when it comes to player violence. There's no smoking gun video like Ray Rice had. People will quickly forget. It's not as if there isn't a steady barrage of celebrity scandal outings filling the news to deflect from his negative attention.

If he had really wanted to win this thing, he should have gone on the offensive from the start. He could have incorporated all sorts of prejudicial bias into his defense and made it an uncomfortable situation for the league before the original suspension.

The team should just treat it like an injury and adopt the next man up mantra. Maybe with a healthy dose of clapping.

 

[erod]

In the meantime, Zeke is alone for six weeks, left to his own devices.

Yikes.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

You mean like how OJ Simpson if fighting to find the real killers of his ex wife and her friend???

I don't know what happened between Zeke and his Ex, but both seem to have issues.....I wasn't there and neither were you, but he's not fighting for whether he's innocent or not, that's the big mistake people on this forum seem to be making.....that's not before the court, he's only fighting to play on a denied procedural process....nothing more!

To me, this is about the truest statement out there. I have always contended that there were no innocent parties here. All are guilty of something. She is a pro and I am sure that nobody is confusing here with Mother Teresa. Zeke knows what she is and he knows what he's doing. He is not innocent of a lot of things either. The NFL is not innocent in this because they understand that he would not be convicted in a Court of Law but they are using the CBA to make this stick as a statement.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Who's responsible for that guaranteed money?

The team, under contract terms.

 

[The Quest for Six]

This is effectively a silly write off.

Whether he can play or not is based on him being found "guilty" of DV by the kangaroo court of the NFL which is what they suspended him for under the PC policy. Of course he's fighting to play, but he's doing so by fighting the claim of what is denying him the ability to play.

He wasn't found "guilty" of anything, that determination can only be concluded in a court of law......The league found he violated a "policy", of a collectively bargain agreement between the NFL and NFLPA, no different than a business you work for can suspend or terminate you based on their policy...dragging this out isn't going to change anything!

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Easy for someone to say that is not being accused of domestic violence.

Hypothetically, everything is easy to say if you're dumb as a door knob or trolling. Too close to call in this case though

 

[Direwolf63]

That opinion is whimsical but it will be cemented if he does not fight. I believe he's been quite clear on why he's so adamant to fight to the end, his motivation and his responses have not wavered.

The opinions are cemented. What do you think the fans in opponents stadiums are yelling to Zeke during warnups or on the sidelines? That he should fight the league? Or that he's a rapist? You think Eagles fans are yelling for Zeke to fight Goodell? Or that he should be in jail? Or worse. Do you think their minds would change if Zeke were to somehow win in the 2nd Circuit? Or would they think that he got away with it on a technicality?

I think Zeke should continue his fight in court as long as he chooses to do so. It is his right to and he is entitled to them.

His chances of winning in the 2nd circuit are basically zero. His chances of winning a civil suit is also near zero. But, if by some miracle he wins either case, or even both, the minds of those fans in those stadiums will not change.

 

[Direwolf63]

In the meantime, Zeke is alone for six weeks, left to his own devices.

Yikes.

We can only hope that he's learned some valuable lessons from this entire experience and will make the necessary changes in his private life such that there won't be a repeat of these type of incidences in the future.

 

[SultanOfSix]

He wasn't found "guilty" of anything, that determination can only be concluded in a court of law......The league found he violated a "policy", of a collectively bargain agreement between the NFL and NFLPA, no different than a business you work for can suspend or terminate you based on their policy...dragging this out isn't going to change anything!

This is just semantics. He allegedly violated a policy. That policy is one of personal conduct that all players must submit to. Part of that policy is that acts of DV count as a violation of that policy which means you can be suspended from playing if you commit them. The NFL said he did the latter, and is therefore "guilty" of violating that policy. If he is innocent of DV, then he cannot be held accountable for violation of said policy under those terms. Therefore, he can be fighting for his innocence and still be fighting to play. This is deductive reasoning based on syllogisms.

The NFL has argued that the CBA allows them the right to suspend him because they went through their own "process" allegedly agreed to by the players and the NFL in the CBA (even though article 46 has been there since 1968) and effectively found him guilty of violating their own policy by saying he committed acts that fall under the category of DV, bypassing any legal standard for such a crime. In other words, as a monopoly, they can exercise a kangaroo court and label a player as a woman abuser as long as they go through that "process", which has clearly been ethically abused according to the evidence, but "legally" justified.

 

[wssaustin]

If you are innocent you fight to the end.

Exactly.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

I can't wait til Thompson says she made the whole thing up. That would really screw things up for the NFL brass.

??? Why would she. She's probably already in the process of framing that dunce, Lucky Whitehead.

 

[links18]

Stopped reading at, "Should he win his appeal."

 

[aikemirv]

What else might he say? "I'm doing this so that I don't lose my guaranteed money?"

Do you think he would lose more guaranteed money or endorsements?

 

[aikemirv]

You mean like how OJ Simpson if fighting to find the real killers of his ex wife and her friend???

I don't know what happened between Zeke and his Ex, but both seem to have issues.....I wasn't there and neither were you, but he's not fighting for whether he's innocent or not, that's the big mistake people on this forum seem to be making.....that's not before the court, he's only fighting to play on a denied procedural process....nothing more!

He can't do one without the other......

 

[BAT]

The opinions are cemented. What do you think the fans in opponents stadiums are yelling to Zeke during warnups or on the sidelines? That he should fight the league? Or that he's a rapist? You think Eagles fans are yelling for Zeke to fight Goodell? Or that he should be in jail? Or worse. Do you think their minds would change if Zeke were to somehow win in the 2nd Circuit? Or would they think that he got away with it on a technicality?

I think Zeke should continue his fight in court as long as he chooses to do so. It is his right to and he is entitled to them.

His chances of winning in the 2nd circuit are basically zero. His chances of winning a civil suit is also near zero. But, if by some miracle he wins either case, or even both, the minds of those fans in those stadiums will not change.

Sometimes its not about whether you win or lose, its about the fight.

And there is a difference with general public perception (mass consumers) vs. opposing fans vitriol. Opposing fans are less likely to buy Zeke's brand, unlike the general public who helped make his jersey a top seller AND contributed to his endorsement deals.