Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott’s attorneys say his six-game suspension over a domestic violence case has been upheld, but he will play the opener because of the timing of the arbitrator’s decision.
An arbitrator denied Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott’s appeal of a six-game suspension in a domestic violence case Tuesday, but the 2016 NFL rushing champion will play in the opener because of the timing of the decision.
Elliott attorney Jeffrey Kessler told the judge near the end of a nearly 2 1/2-hour hearing in federal court that Elliott’s suspension was sustained by arbitrator Harold Henderson.
At the start of the hearing, NFL attorney Daniel Nash told the judge it was «his understanding» that Elliott could play Sunday night against the New York Giants because Henderson’s ruling came too late in the day for it to be enforced this weekend.
U. S. District Judge Amos Mazzant said he would rule on Elliott’s request for a temporary restraining order by Friday.
«We are extremely disappointed with Mr. Henderson’s inability to navigate through league politics, and follow the evidence, and, most importantly, his (sic) conscience, » attorneys Frank Salzano and Scott Rosenblum said in a statement released after the hearing.
Elliott was suspended by Commissioner Roger Goodell after the league concluded he had several physical confrontations last summer with Tiffany Thompson, a former girlfriend. Prosecutors in Ohio didn’t pursue the case, citing conflicting evidence.
The 22-year-old Elliott denied the allegations in sworn testimony during an appeal hearing last week. He attended Tuesday’s hearing in Sherman, about 65 miles north of Dallas, wearing a suit and tie and facing away from the audience while mostly facing the judge.
The NFL Players’ Associated sued in federal court on behalf of Elliott last week before Henderson even ruled, saying the appeal hearing was «fundamentally unfair» because the running back was prevented from confronting his accuser in the Ohio case.
Kessler reiterated most of the NFLPA’s arguments before Mazzant, who pressed Nash for answers on the claim from Elliott’s legal team that a co-lead investigator who questioned Thompson’s credibility was left out of a key meeting with Goodell during the yearlong probe.
According to the letter Elliott received informing him of the suspension last month, the NFL believed he used «physical force» three times in a span of five days in a Columbus, Ohio, apartment last July resulting in injuries to Thompson’s face, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, wrists, hips and knees.
Prosecutors in Columbus decided about a year ago not to pursue the case in the city where Elliott starred for Ohio State, but the NFL kept the investigation open. The league said its conclusions were based on photographs, text messages and other electronic evidence.
Last year, Elliott missed a large portion of the preseason because of a hamstring injury before rushing for 1,631 yards and helping the Cowboys to a 13-3 record. The Cowboys didn’t use Elliott in the first three preseason games but he had eight touches in 10 plays in his only series in the finale against Oakland as the appeal case played out.
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When Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Tuesday that the Trump administration would be ending the Obama-era program to protect undocumented ‘Dreamers’ from deportation, he said the decision was about enforcing the law—and mentioned terrorism as a possible outcome when the nation doesn’ t enforce its laws.
When Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Tuesday that the Trump administration would shut down an Obama-era program that protects young people brought into the U. S. illegally from deportation, he said it was vital for the country to enforce its laws.
«Enforcing the law saves lives, protects communities and taxpayers, and prevents human suffering, ” Sessions said at the Justice Department as he explained the decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.
The program has allowed 800,000 young undocumented people to remain in the country by applying for two-year work permits.
But what drew new scrutiny from advocates for undocumented immigrants was that Sessions cited terrorism specifically as a possible risk if the federal government fails to enforce U. S. immigration laws—and failing to enforce immigration law is what Sessions suggested the government would be doing if the DACA program continued.
“There is nothing compassionate about the failure to enforce immigration laws, » Sessions said during his announcement. “Failure to enforce the laws in the past has put our nation at risk of crime, violence, and even terrorism.»
A Justice Department spokesperson told Buzzfeed that the terrorism comments were “not DACA-focused.” But Sessions remarks still raised questions among critics of the administration’s immigration policies—particularly since the DACA program covers young people brought to the U. S. as children, who have little to no criminal record.
“That was right out of the nativist playbook, ” Frank Sharry, executive director of immigration reform group America’s Voice, told Buzzfeed, calling Sessions comments “a distortion and a lie that is regularly spewed by talk radio.”
Sharry pointed to studying showing that there’s no correlation between immigration and crime, according to Buzzfeed—as well as a recent study reviewing 51 other studies, released by the University of California at Irvine, demonstrating that there’s not a relationship between immigration levels and crime.
As McClatchy reported after the policy change, Sessions went to the White House two weeks ago to tell President Donald Trump that the DACA program was unconstitutional —and that he wouldn’ t defend it in court, where it has faced legal challenges.
The Justice Department spokesperson Buzzfeed spoke with suggested that Sessions, in his announcement today, was not trying to say that DACA in particular had anything to do with terrorists.
“There have been many times where people attempted to use or successfully used leniencies within immigration enforcement as a launching pad for their attacks against our country, ” the spokesperson told Buzzfeed.
The spokesperson mentioned three terrorists who took part in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. According to the official, three sought «amnesty under the Special Agricultural Workers program, as did a terrorist involved in the 1993 ‘landmarks’ plot. Three of these four who sought amnesty received it.»
But immigrant advocates seized on Sessions remarks, according to Buzzfeed—going so far as to suggest they could help in lawsuits against the administration’s immigration policies. Democratic attorneys general from states across the country have already threatened to sue the administration over its DACA reversal, according to The Hill.
For his part, Sessions did use the speech to say that the policy change wasn’ t about Dreamers so much as doing what the administration believe is lawful.
“This does not mean they are bad people or that our nation disrespects or demeans them in any way, ” Sessions said. “It means we are properly enforcing our laws as Congress has passed them.”
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Bobby Wood scores in the 85th minute to resuce the United States from falling into a deep hole in World Cup qualifying.
Late goal gives U. S. a 1-1 tie with Honduras
Bobby Wood scored off a scramble in the 85th minute, and the United States escaped from Honduras with a 1-1 tie Tuesday after nearly falling into a deep hole in World Cup qualifying.
Romell Quioto scored in the 27th minute after defender Omar Gonzalez failed to clear the ball with a slide tackle. Quioto was left with an open 11-yard shot that beat goalkeeper Brad Guzan to the far post, causing exuberant fans to stomp and shake Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.
Christian Pulisic was fouled about 30 yards from the goal and Kellyn Acosta took the free kick. Goalkeeper Luis Lopez batted the ball with his left hand, and Matt Besler hooked it to Jordan Morris. He sent a backward header to Wood, a 73rd-minute substitute.
Wood chested the ball and scored his ninth international goal, avoiding a huge U. S. embarrassment.
FOOTBALL: Florida State slipped all the way to the No. 10 in The Associated Press college football poll after losing to Alabama and losing quarterback Deondre Francois to a season-ending injury.
The Crimson Tide are No. 1 again, securing 60 of 61 first-place votes in the first Top 25 of the regular season. Ohio State remained No. 2 in the media poll and received the other first-place vote. Defending champion Clemson moved up to No. 3. Penn State is No. 4 and Oklahoma moved up No. 5.
n Maryland QB Tyrrell Pigrome is out for the season with a torn right ACL, an injury that takes some of the joy out of the Terrapins’ season-opening 51-41 upset of Texas last Saturday. Pigrome will undergo surgery this week, Coach DJ Durkin said.
n Navy transfer Alohi Gilman is not eligible to play this season for Notre Dame. Coach Brian Kelly said the NCAA denied the school’s final appeal for immediate eligibility instead of Gilman sitting out the usual one year required of transfers.
n UCF has moved its home football game against Memphis up a day, 6: 30 p.m. Friday, as a precaution to avoid any potential disruption by Hurricane Irma.
MEN’ S BASKETBALL: Xavier added a year to Coach Chris Mack’s deal, keeping him under contract through the 2022-23 season.
n Brandon Clarke, who led San Jose State in scoring last season, is transferring to Gonzaga.
n St. John’s recruit Sidney Wilson has transferred to UConn and the Huskies are seeking a waiver that would allow him to play this season.
WOMEN’ S BASKETBALL: Star Notre Dame center Brianna Turner, who suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during the NCAA Tournament in late March, will miss the upcoming season to continue rehabilitation.
NBA: Tilman Fertitta, a billionaire restaurant and casino owner from Houston, agreed to buy the Houston Rockets from Leslie Alexander.
Terms were not released and must be approved by the NBA Board of Governors.
WNBA: The Atlanta Dream fired Coach Michael Cooper after plummeting to their worst season since 2008,12-22.
NHL: The New York Rangers have hired former players Brian Leetch and Brad Richards as advisers.
Leetch and Richards will work on prospect development and assist with on-ice development for the Rangers and their top affiliate, the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

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The Boston Red Sox have reportedly admitted to Major League Baseball that they improperly used electronic devices to steal signs from the rival New York Yankees.
Looking for any edge in an age-old rivalry, the Boston Red Sox got called out in a high-tech sign-stealing scheme they ran on the New York Yankees.
The first-place Red Sox admitted to Major League Baseball that they used an Apple Watch to relay signals from opposing catchers to Boston players, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Sign stealing has long been a part of the game, but employing electronic gadgets to do it is against the rules.
MLB is looking into allegations levied by the Yankees after a series between the teams last month in Boston. The Times said the Red Sox told MLB investigators that Boston manager John Farrell, general Dave Dombrowski and other team executives were not aware of the operation, which had been going on for weeks.
Commissioner Rob Manfred, who was at Fenway Park on Tuesday night as part of a previously planned visit, said he wanted to get the matter resolved quickly. He didn’t comment about possible penalties.
«The only thing that I can tell you about repercussions is that to the extent that there was a violation on either side — and I’m not saying that there was — to the extent that there was a violation on either side, we are 100 percent comfortable that it is not an ongoing issue — that if it happened, it is no longer happening, » he said.
This isn’t the first time a successful Boston-area sports franchise has been accused of cheating in recent years.
New England Patriots star Tom Brady was suspended four games by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after the «Deflategate» investigation concluded the quarterback conspired to use illegally underinflated footballs in the 2015 AFC championship game. The Pats also were docked a first-round draft pick.
Years earlier, the five-time Super Bowl champions were caught videotaping signals being sent in by Jets coaches during a 2007 game — the Patriots lost a first-round pick in the 2008 draft and coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 in «Spygate.»
The Red Sox hold a narrow lead over the Yankees in the AL East race with a month left in the regular season. The teams don’t play again this season.
Farrell said he knew the rule.
«Electronic devices are not to be used in the dugout, » he said Tuesday before Boston hosted the Toronto Blue Jays. «But beyond that, the only thing I can say it’s a league matter at this point.»
Dombrowski said it was the first time a team he’d worked for had been formally accused of stealing signs.
«I’ve been in the game for 40 years. I’ve known of it for 40 years, sign stealing itself, » Dombrowski said. «I’ve known of people that I talk to that played back in the ’50’s that talked to me about sign stealing, so I do think sign stealing has been taking place for a long time. I will acknowledge that.»
The Times, according to unidentified sources, said the MLB probe started after Yankees general manager Brian Cashman filed a complaint with the commissioner’s office that included video. The newspaper said the video showed a member of Boston’s training staff looking at his Apple Watch in the dugout and relaying a message to players.
«I think there was something that was suspected of going on, » Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said before Tuesday night’s game in Baltimore.
The Times said the Red Sox filed a complaint Tuesday against the Yankees, alleging the club used a camera from its YES television network to steal opponents’ signs.
«No chance, » Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Said Manfred: «I do believe that this is a charged situation from a competitive perspective, when you have the kind of rivalry that the Yankees and the Red Sox have. I guess it’s not shocking you could have charges and counter-charges like this.»
The Times said the Red Sox told MLB investigators that club personnel watched monitors and then electronically sent pitch signals to team trainers in the dugout, who relayed the information to players.
The newspaper said video showed Boston assistant athletic trainer Jon Jochim checking his Apple Watch and relaying the info to Red Sox players Brock Holt and second baseman Dustin Pedroia. The newspaper said one clip showed Pedroia passing along the intelligence to Boston outfielder Chris Young, who formerly played for the Yankees.
The Red Sox won two of three from the Yankees during the series Aug. 18-20. The Times reported that in the first game, after Boston first put a runner on second, Rafael Devers hit a home run. The Red Sox went 5 for 8 in that game when they had a runner at second and won 9-6.
Sign stealing to help hitters know what pitch is coming has long been a part of baseball lore. Often times it happens when a runner at second base peers in to see the catcher’s sign and then subtly flashes a signal — maybe a hand movement, or the positioning of his feet — to the batter to let him know whether the next pitch will be a fastball, curveball or something else.
The most famous example of sign stealing was a secret for almost a half-century. It took that long before it was positively revealed the New York Giants used a spyglass-and-buzzer system to relay pitch signals to their hitters during their famed 1951 chase of the Brooklyn Dodgers, which culminated with Bobby Thomson’s bottom-of-the-ninth, winning homer in the decisive Game 3 of their NL playoff.
Players are allowed to try to figure out the opponents’ signals on their own. Computers, cameras and electronics are not permitted.
To combat signs being stolen, teams often change their signals when an opposing runner reaches second base. Signs can change from batter to batter and even pitch to pitch — the Yankees are a team that frequently has its catcher go out to the mound to discuss with pitchers what to throw.
Electronics and video have become more a part of baseball and all sports in recent years. The increased usage has also put leagues on alert over how to control improprieties in many areas.
In July 2016, a federal judge sentenced the former scouting director of the St. Louis Cardinals to nearly four years in prison for hacking the Houston Astros’ player-personnel database and email system.
«Electronics is the world we live in today, » Girardi said. «It’s changed the world we live in and it will continue to change as we move on. Again, there has to be something the catcher, the pitcher and the middle infielders can do to combat all this. Football’s gone to headset. They’ve talked about how they don’t know how feasible that is in the game of baseball, but I think we have to try something.»
___
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