You almost have to laugh at how brazen it was for Dallas Cowboys running back Zeke Elliott to talk to local CBS about keeping his nose clean only hours after he’d been handcuffed by police following a brief altercation in Las Vegas. Surely, his parents had taught him nothing good happens at an electric dance festival after midnight.
My local paper had a centerpiece Monday showing Elliott interacting with kids at his football camp. But hours later we were watching video of Elliott being detained after he appeared to cause a security guard at the festival to fall into a barricade. It looked like a pretty clumsy fall to me, and Elliott wasn’t arrested despite wearing a Lakers jersey.
Elliott had received a lot of positive coverage lately for some admirable acts of kindness and generosity. He’d responded well after being suspended for six games in 2017 following the NFL’s lengthy investigation into domestic violence allegations. He had a couple more incidents that were not serious, but it seemed that he’d turned the corner. And honestly, I think what happened in Vegas would’ve stayed there if not for an intrepid TMZ photographer who patiently waited for the money shot. (How would Lawrence Taylor have fared with TMZ?)
What grabbed my attention was something Stephen Jones told reporters earlier this week. He indicated this latest incident would in no way impact Elliott’s contract negotiation.
“I know Zeke’s got a big heart,” Jones said. “These are all bumps. People have challenges. That’s really all we got to say about it.”
I think Stephen absolutely believes those words at this point. Elliott is under contract through the 2020 season, when he’s scheduled to make a little more than $9 million. With the focus on Dak Prescott’s contract, there’s no reason to knock the quarterback’s close pal in public. But give this thing time.
If you believe Jones will be singing the same tune when it’s time to negotiate with Elliott, you haven’t paid attention. You might recall some things being reported about Dez Bryant leading up to his contract extension in 2015. There were cryptic mentions of a possible video showing Bryant doing something untoward, but nothing surfaced. Bryant reacted angrily on social media, and it’s hard to blame him. I always suspected some of those rumors were coming from the Cowboys. The wide receiver had a security detail around him at one point, but things had settled down. The rumors about some type of incident happened to swirl as Bryant was attempting to secure a long-term contract.
I’m not saying Bryant and Elliott have the exact same backgrounds in terms of off-the-field incidents, but I definitely think the Cowboys might use the same playbook. Stephen differentiated himself from Jerry Jones during the Elliott suspension because he wasn’t afraid to question the running back’s judgment. When the time’s right, he’ll either publicly or privately bring up Elliott’s past.
A lot of fans and media are quick to dismiss Zeke’s latest brush with the law as harmless. But I don’t think Stephen will be thinking that at the negotiating table. Elliott’s past gives the Cowboys leverage, and they won’t be afraid to use it. And they’ve also shown a willingness to let a bell cow running back leave the building in free agency. I don’t think that will happen with Elliott as it did with DeMarco Murray, but running backs continue to be disposable in the NFL.
Elliott would be wise to hire a body guard, as NBC-5’s Newy Scruggs has suggested. Newy claims to have known Shaq’s body guard when the three of them were working in Los Angeles. He gives the body guard a lot of credit for keeping Shaq out of scrapes, although it helps that Shaq is a docile giant when he’s not provoked by Charles Barkley
Elliott may feel blessed to think the Cowboys will always have his back. But that would be a naive approach. Maybe Jerry will continue to fight for him like he did during the suspension, but I think Stephen’s more than willing to hold his feet to the fire, though it might not happen until next offseason.
It’s hard to imagine Roger Goodell suspending Elliott for this recent incident, but stranger things have happened. Goodell likes to stick it to the owner who tried to reduce his compensation. And if that happens, the younger Jones will be looking to reduce a certain running back’s compensation.
Just know the compassionate Stephen Jones from earlier this week won’t be the one who shows up at the negotiating table next summer. And Elliott would be wise to remember that when he’s doing the electric boogaloo.
