A U.S. District Court judge denied the NFL's motion for a stay of the preliminary injunction of Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension Monday. The league is now awaiting a ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, after filing at that level last week.
Judge Amos L. Mazzant III previously ruled that the Dallas Cowboys running back didn't receive a fundamentally fair hearing from the NFL during his appeal process, which was overseen by arbitrator Harold Henderson.
Elliott was initially sanctioned for six games on Aug. 11, but his suspension was placed on hold indefinitely after Mazzant granted the NFLPA's request for an injunction on Sept. 8.
Mazzant's ruling reads as follows, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper:
In its Emergency Motion in front of the Court, the NFL is complaining that the Court essentially issued a premature order by failing to wait for the arbitrator to issue his ruling and therefore, lacked subject matter jurisdiction. Oddly, the NFL is now seeking expedited relief from the Fifth Circuit without first waiting for the Court to rule on the identical issue. The irony is not lost on the Court.
Elliott played during the Cowboys' first two games of the season, submitting the worst performance of his pro career in Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos (nine rushes for 8 yards).
