Ezekiel Elliott: ‘The good, the bad and the ugly’
Ezekiel Elliott has been on a wild ride since turning pro.
What a difference a year makes. Ezekiel Elliott went from being the poster boy for Ohio State football to something less. Since he left the Buckeyes for the NFL, Elliott has been on a roller coaster ride on and off the field. The best way I can describe his journey since leaving the Ohio State is to refer to the title of an old Clint Eastwood movie, “The good, the bad and the ugly”.
First let’s take a look at the “Good” Ezekiel Elliott.
In his rookie season Zeke rushed for 1631 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 363 yards and 1 TD to prove the scouts correct that he could be effective in the passing game as well.
He was instrumental in leading the Dallas Cowboys back to the playoffs and finished second to teammate Dak Prescott in the voting for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Now for the “Bad”.
Evidently Zeke likes to drive a car as fast as he wants to push an offense down the field. He was clocked driving 100 mph on April 4th and Collin County accepted his attorney’s plea of no contest on July 5th as reported by COWBOYSWIRE.
There were other incidents where Zeke was cited for driving violations that were reported in the article as well. That doesn’t exactly make you think Elliott is responsible enough to be behind the wheel of a car. And then there is the “Ugly”.
The NFL has been investigating an incident where a former girlfriend of Elliott accused him of domestic abuse in July of 2016. Now the league has suspended the Dallas Cowboy running back for the first six games of the 2017 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. It was reported in an article by Todd Archer of ESPN that Elliott’s representatives have said he will appeal the suspension.
While Elliott was aware of the NFL’s investigation, he made the news for two other off the field incidents as well. One of which the police were called to the scene according to SI.com.
Elliott allegedly was in a bar when a fight broke out, and it was first reported that he was involved in the altercation. However, it should be noted that no charges were brought against him in this incident, or the one the NFL has been investigating for over a year.
More from Scarlet and Game
- Ohio State Football: How Denzel Burke has bounced back so far this season
- Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes conference schedule is set
- Ohio State Football rolling into form at the perfect time
- How Ohio State football has done historically versus new Big 12
- Ohio State Football: We need to see “Killer Ryan Day” at South Bend
So why then did Elliott receive a six game suspension when he seems to be found innocent nearly every time he is involved in an incident. Could it possibly be a pattern of behavior issue the NFL powers-that-be are concerned with?
It very well could be. Although Zeke came up short in his attempt at breaking the NFL rookie rushing record last season, he may have set the record for off the field incidents by a running back between draft day and the start of his second NFL season.
And the league has been under fire recently because it appeared that off the field problems by players weren’t being addressed like they should be. That has all changed and Elliott’s suspension is proof of that.
Promising NFL careers can be shortened because of off-season issues, or incidents that occur between Monday and Saturday, as easily as a player’s performance on Sunday. Let’s hope Ezekiel Elliott will soon realize that fact.
Next: Will Buckeyes Collect 2017 Season's Big Ten Offensive Awards?
I know Buckeye fans hope to see more of the good Zeke they saw during his three years playing for Ohio State, and less of the bad and the ugly. I’m sure Dallas Cowboy fans feel the same way too.