Ezekiel Elliott entered his rookie NFL season with a cloud of suspicion over his head concerning allegations of physical abuse by a former girlfriend. Elliott was never charged with a crime, but the NFL investigation has somehow lingered into a new season. There are reports that Elliott could face a one- or two-game suspension.
So, with training camp beginning in two weeks for the Dallas Cowboys, why would the star running back be involved in some type of fracas in a bar late last Sunday?
As a St. Louisan and Cowboys fan, my patience for Elliott’s off-field behavior has worn thin – in fact, it’s exhausted.
Enough is enough, Ezekiel. The son of successful parents who starred at John Burroughs School and then Ohio State is becoming an embarrassment.
I don’t think he deserves a suspension for the alleged domestic violence accusation – which he vehemently denies.
But a year later, his behavior leads me to believe it might take some action from the NFL to finally get his attention.
The latest incident involves a 30-year-old man alleging he was physically assaulted at a Dallas bar but could not identify who assaulted him. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. Translation: There was a fight and Elliott was involved in some way.
Speaking of bars, in February, Elliott was at one when he and police reportedly had a chat while one of his friends was being arrest, according to TMZ. He was not accused of any wrongdoing.
About a month later, Elliott was caught on video pulling down a woman’s top during a St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Elliott was the passenger in a car crash in May that caused him to miss some organized team activities OTAs because of general soreness. That was bad luck, but it makes you wonder if he’s living too fast.
“I think it’s just life,” Elliott told reporters in June when asked about the various incidents.
“You learn from your mistakes, and if you don’t, it can be brutal. So, it’s just part of life.”
Whether you’re the 2016 NFL-leading rusher entering just your second season or an average guy or gal pursuing a career, there comes a time to put your craft above the good times.
Hopefully, Elliott has learned his lesson. The NFL is probably going to give him a week without pay as a study guide.
Racist rampage
I warned you the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match would deteriorate into a race war.
Last week’s four-city promotional tour was a pathetic display that should have offended anyone who is a fan of boxing, mixed martial arts or civilized mankind.
Yes, it’s all about ticket sales and marketing. But it’s still rotten to the core.
McGregor got the racist ball rolling by proclaiming, “Dance for me, boy,” as Mayweather shadow-boxed during a press conference at L.A.’s Staples Center. He might as well have dropped an N-word on Mayweather – he’s probably saving that until a week before the fight.
Following this sick road show’s third press conference in New York, McGregor was on The Jimmy Kimmell Show and made a reference to Rocky III, saying, “That’s the one where he had that celebrity gym isn’t it? With the dancing monkeys in the gym and all.”
Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) trained under Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) and prepared for his rematch with Clubber Lang (Mr. T) in a gym with many black boxers
McGregor even used the cliché of black men having larger penises to further insult African Americans when he said, “I’m half black; I’m black from the belly button down.”
Mayweather and his camp know what’s up – and they could care less. Mayweather has thrown the B-word at McGregor and tossed an insulting word for gay men his way too. He’s not an innocent bystander. He’s a co-conspirator.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather Promotions CEO, said McGregor is not a bigot.
“He’s pushing the envelope a bit. He knows what he’s doing. … He’s a cold pimp,” said Ellerbe.
If McGregor is a pimp, what does that make the rest of the world?
Mike Wise, a columnist for ESPN’s The Undefeated, wrote, “Mayweather and McGregor gave us a special ode to crude and vile the past week. Like two comedians unable to come up with original material, racial and homophobic epithets and personal slights became their go-to crutch in this theater of the slurred.”
This fight can’t get here and be gone fast enough for me – and anyone else with an ounce of class.
Kroenke cashes in
The Los Angeles Rams are a 150-1 shot to win the Super Bowl. Owner Stan Kroenke’s new stadium opening has been pushed back a year because steady rain last winter slowed construction.
Last year’s season ticket sales euphoria that greeted the team’s arrival has slowed.
Things are bleak for Kroenke and the Rams, right?
Think again. FORBES has the Rams valued at $2.9 billion, making the franchise 12th on its 2017 World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams list.
The St. Louis Cardinals are ranked No. 47 with a value of $1.8 billion.
Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows, including Frank Cusumano’s “The Press Box” on KFNS. His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
