OXNARD, Calif.– Cowboys officials have backed Ezekiel Elliott several times in the past week, and that continued Friday at the outset of training camp.
Elliott, the team's No. 4 overall draft pick back in April, was implicated in domestic violence allegations last week. The standout running back and his family were quick to attest to his innocence, and Cowboys executives have stood by him.
The rookie reported to training camp with the rest of the team, and he's expected to practice with the rest of the roster starting on Saturday. Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said the team has gathered information from a variety of sources that allows them to feel comfortable letting Elliott practice.
"We've seen no contradictions from any of the information that we've seen," he said. "The information we've seen would have him here in camp and involved with us. I've seen no bits of information that contradicted that."
The NFL is conducting its own investigation of the incident, to go along with investigations by law enforcement. Jones didn't want to elaborate too much until that has concluded, but the Cowboys have remained confident throughout the process.
"Knowing how these things work, knowing what the NFL is doing today – the NFL is in addition to what law enforcement, the judicial system does, what all of that does, the NFL does its look-see," Jones said. "It is, as we've found out, pretty thorough. So we just know to wait and see what the facts – without sounding like an attorney – what the facts are."
- David Helman
