Report: Ezekiel Elliott Plans to Argue Accuser Harassed Him in Suspension Appeal
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott’s strategy for appealing his six-game NFL suspension for domestic violence will involve questioning the credibility of his accuser, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Elliott’s representatives plan to draw attention to several threats from the accuser, his ex-girlfriend Tiffany Thompson, made in text messages in the days after the NFL says Elliott abused her. “I’m going to ruin your life,” Thompson wrote in one text.
Furthermore, NFL.com reports that Elliott plans to argue that he was harassed by Thompson in the months after she accused him of domestic violence. Police documents obtained by NFL.com show officers responded to Elliott’s home on the morning of Sept. 5 after he said he received more than 50 phone calls from Thompson between 2:39 a.m. and 10 a.m. Commissioner Roger Goodell took the harassment allegations into account when issuing the suspension, according NFL.com. Elliott also alleges that Thompson tried to damage his reputation by improperly accessing his email and using phone numbers found there to call people and leave disparaging messages.
Thompson made multiple domestic violence allegations against Elliott in July 2016 but no charges were filed. The NFL’s investigation concluded that Elliott abused Thompson on three occasions in the week leading up to the July 22 allegation that sparked the investigation and detailed the extent of her injuries.
The league also had questions about Thompson’s credibility. NFL investigator Lisa Friel found that Thompson “repeatedly misled investigators,” according to the Star-Telegram.
