FRISCO, Texas -- For a second time this season, Ezekiel Elliott has been granted a temporary restraining order in court, staving off his six-game NFL suspension and allowing him to continue playing while the issue is resolved.
The restraining order was granted by the Second District Federal Court on Tuesday evening, and it will allow Elliott to return to the roster for the next two weeks. The All-Pro running back had been suspended late last week when the Fifth Circuit Court overruled the injunction he was granted earlier this season.
Unlike that previous injunction, however, this week's ruling is good for approximately two weeks -- or until Judge Katherine Polk Failla makes a ruling on the current matter. Failla is currently on vacation, and Jude Paul Crotty granted the restraining order to allow her to make the ruling when she returns.
That should clear Elliott to play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, and potentially the following week against the Washington Redskins -- but his status beyond that remains unclear.
As has been well-documented by now, this saga stems back to the summer, when the NFL suspended Elliott for six games over allegations of domestic violence. Elliott and his legal team appealed that decision with the league. Although he eventually lost that appeal, he filed for an injunction -- which was eventually granted -- in Sherman, Texas.
The NFL appealed that decision with the Fifth Circuit Court, where it was overturned on Thursday afternoon. Elliott was suspended by the league immediately afterward, although Tuesday's decision will clear him to return to the Cowboys' facility.
It has been a long and winding road from mid-August, when the suspension was handed down, to now. And while it appears Elliott will again be available for the time being, this latest restraining order ensures that the story isn't quite over, one way or another.
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