Were the courtroom challenges worth it for Ezekiel Elliott  the Cowboys and the NFLPA?
Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott âs suspension went into effect after Thursdayâs court ruling  according to the NFL. (Eric Risberg/AP)
The NFL Players Association fought what it felt was the good fight in the  Ezekiel Elliott  case  challenging the NFLâs six-game suspension of the second-year running back for the Dallas Cowboys in federal courts because it believed that  Elliott  had been wronged and that the leagueâs system of justice under Commissioner Roger Goodell is deeply flawed.
 Elliott  spoke of clearing  his  name.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had his playerâs back  saying that  Elliott  had not been treated fairly by the league. And oh  by the way  the Cowboys also need  Elliott  in their lineup desperately  Jones acknowledged as well.
[NFL says Ezekiel Elliottâs suspension is in effect after appeals court denies him an injunction]
 Elliott  has begun serving  his  six-game suspension under the personal conduct policy and  barring yet another last-minute legal twist  will not play Sunday when the Cowboys face the Falcons in Atlanta.  He  will have missed four games by the time  his  appeal of the rejection of  his  injunction is heard by a federal appeals court Dec. 1.
In the unionâs case  that question is yet to be answered. Certainly the NFLPA was doing all that it could for  Elliott . But for the union  the issues are bigger than one suspension and one case. The NFLPA wants a fundamentally different system of player justice than the one used by Goodell and the league under the collective bargaining agreement and the personal conduct policy. In the meantime  the union is doing what it can to ensure that cases are decidedly as fairly as possible  in its view  and playersâ rights are protected as much as possible under the current system.
But those changes probably will have to come  ultimately  at the bargaining table as part of the next CBA rather than in the courts. The union managed to delay the  Elliott  suspension for half a season. But now  Elliott  is about to sit. The NFLPA managed to delay the four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady  through the courts  for an entire season in the Deflategate case. But Brady sat out the first four games of last season. The union managed to prevail in court in a disciplinary case involving Adrian Peterson  only to lose on appeal.
 Elliott  has denied that  he  was guilty of domestic violence in a series of incidents last year in Ohio involving  his  former girlfriend.  He  was not charged with a crime. But the NFL determined after its investigation that  Elliott   in  its  view  was guilty of domestic violence.
 Elliott  has said the courtroom challenge was  for  him   about justice and  his  reputation. Was it worth it for  him ? Only  he  can answer that.
But in terms of on-field considerations for  Elliott  and the Cowboys  itâs highly debatable whether the decision to go to court was a good one  in retrospect.  Elliott  could have missed the first six games of the season.  He  would have returned and played the past two games  and the Cowboys would have  him  in the lineup for the second half of the regular season and beyond.  He  would have been available for the seasonâs biggest games.
As things now stand   Elliott  wonât play again until Christmas Eve.  He  will have to regain  his  game sharpness and get back in sync with the Cowboysâ offense in a hurry for the games that could determine the outcome of the Cowboysâ season. In the meantime  they will have to try to get by with backup running backs Alfred Morris  Darren McFadden and Rod Smith and attempt to remain in postseason contention without  Elliott .
Court denies Ezekiel Elliottâs latest injunction request  Cowboys star again suspended by NFL
Ezekiel Elliott âs suspension went into effect after Thursdayâs court ruling  according to the NFL. (Eric Risberg/AP)
The NFL Players Association fought what it felt was the good fight in the  Ezekiel Elliott  case  challenging the NFLâs six-game suspension of the second-year running back for the Dallas Cowboys in federal courts because it believed that  Elliott  had been wronged and that the leagueâs system of justice under Commissioner Roger Goodell is deeply flawed.
 Elliott  spoke of clearing  his  name.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had his playerâs back  saying that  Elliott  had not been treated fairly by the league. And oh  by the way  the Cowboys also need  Elliott  in their lineup desperately  Jones acknowledged as well.
[NFL says  [TGT]  suspension is in effect after appeals court denies  [TGT]  an injunction]
 Elliott  has begun serving   [TGT]   six-game suspension under the personal conduct policy and  barring yet another last-minute legal twist  will not play Sunday when the Cowboys face the Falcons in Atlanta.  He  will have missed four games by the time  his  appeal of the rejection of  his  injunction is heard by a federal appeals court Dec. 1.
In the unionâs case  that question is yet to be answered. Certainly the NFLPA was doing all that it could for  Elliott . But for the union  the issues are bigger than one suspension and one case. The NFLPA wants a fundamentally different system of player justice than the one used by Goodell and the league under the collective bargaining agreement and the personal conduct policy. In the meantime  the union is doing what it can to ensure that cases are decidedly as fairly as possible  in its view  and playersâ rights are protected as much as possible under the current system.
But those changes probably will have to come  ultimately  at the bargaining table as part of the next CBA rather than in the courts. The union managed to delay the  Elliott  suspension for half a season. But now  Elliott  is about to sit. The NFLPA managed to delay the four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady  through the courts  for an entire season in the Deflategate case. But Brady sat out the first four games of last season. The union managed to prevail in court in a disciplinary case involving Adrian Peterson  only to lose on appeal.
 Elliott  has denied that  he  was guilty of domestic violence in a series of incidents last year in Ohio involving  his  former girlfriend.  He  was not charged with a crime. But the NFL determined after its investigation that  Elliott   in  its  view  was guilty of domestic violence.
 Elliott  has said the courtroom challenge was  for  him   about justice and  his  reputation. Was it worth it for  him ? Only  he  can answer that.
But in terms of on-field considerations for  Elliott  and the Cowboys  itâs highly debatable whether the decision to go to court was a good one  in retrospect.  Elliott  could have missed the first six games of the season.  He  would have returned and played the past two games  and the Cowboys would have  him  in the lineup for the second half of the regular season and beyond.  He  would have been available for the seasonâs biggest games.
As things now stand   Elliott  wonât play again until Christmas Eve.  He  will have to regain  his  game sharpness and get back in sync with the Cowboysâ offense in a hurry for the games that could determine the outcome of the Cowboysâ season. In the meantime  they will have to try to get by with backup running backs Alfred Morris  Darren McFadden and Rod Smith and attempt to remain in postseason contention without  Elliott .
Court denies Ezekiel Elliottâs latest injunction request  Cowboys star again suspended by NFL