Frank Salzano, the legal representative for the Dallas Cowboys, firmly believes that the NFL will close its investigation on Ezekiel Elliot and that the running back will be cleared from the domestic abuse allegations made against him. However, according to a prosecutor, there is reason to believe that the athlete may have had violent interactions with his accuser.
Earlier in this year, Elliott's then-girlfriend accused him of being abusive. However, due to the lack of sufficient evidence, the attorney's office in Columbus, Ohio cleared the athlete from the chargers.
However, it was recently reported that the NFL held interviews with Elliott regarding the matter. This occurred just days after Josh Brown was released by the New York Giants after admitting that he had been abusing his wife.
Due to the league's stricter crackdown on domestic violence allegations, Elliott became the subject of controversy and was even rumored that he might get suspended because of the allegations.
But, in a statement to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Salzano noted that the interview between Elliott and the league was conducted over a month ago and was only picked up by news agencies recently due to Brown's case. The lawyer also maintained that in similar situations, it is basic protocol for the NFL to carry out a separate investigation on the matter.
Salzano then went on to say that he's confident that the NFL will clear Elliott from these allegations and allow him to play continuously without a suspension.
"We firmly believe that the NFL should promptly close its investigation which is only open because of their apprehensiveness stemming from the recent scrutiny it has come under for its handling of other domestic violence matters," Salzano wrote.
"Notwithstanding the forgiving, we remain firm that the NFL will clear Mr. Elliott of any wrongdoing and this matter can be finally put to rest," he added.
Despite Salzano's statement, Robert S. Tobias, a prosecutor from Ohio, believes that violent instances had occurred between Elliott and his former girlfriend. Although Tobias did not provide an explanation regarding his statement, this means that the running back is not yet totally cleared from getting suspended by the NFL.
"For the Ezekiel Elliott matter, I personally believe that there were a series of interactions between Mr. Elliott and (his accuser) where violence occurred," Tobias said. "However, given the totality of the circumstances, I could not firmly conclude exactly what happened."
