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Elliott on legal process: 'Important for me to fight'

Frisco -- Cowboys running back Zeke Elliott was back in the locker room Tuesday, but admitted it was difficult getting his first taste of life without football."It's tough not being able to be here," said Elliott of missing team meetings Tuesday while serving out a few days of a suspension that was eventually put on hold again.Elliott also says the seemingly endless legal battle with the NFL is wearing on him."I mean it's a little tiring," he said.
Credit: Matthew Emmons
Sep 10, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) takes a moment prior to the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Frisco -- Cowboys running back Zeke Elliott was back in the locker room Tuesday, but admitted it was difficult getting his first taste of life without football.

"It's tough not being able to be here," said Elliott of missing team meetings Tuesday while serving out a few days of a suspension that was eventually put on hold again.

Elliott also says the seemingly endless legal battle with the NFL is wearing on him.

"I mean it's a little tiring," he said.

But if you're among those who believe Elliott should just take the 6-game suspension and be done with it, don't hold your breath. Elliott says he's determined to clear his name.

"When you get accused of something of that magnitude you kinda get labeled as an abuser, and that's just not me," he said.

"That's not how I want to be seen, that's not what I want to represent my family, so I mean it's just important for me to fight."

Elliott returning to the practice field Tuesday, after winning the latest round in his legal fight. A federal judge in the Southern District of New York granted Elliott a temporary restraining order, blocking his suspension again for up to two weeks.

But he missed Tuesday after an appellate court last week sided with the NFL. It marked the first time his 6-game suspension, for what the NFL calls domestic violence, cost Elliott time with his team.

Just a few days later, though, the suspension is on the back-burner again. But there will be another ruling within the next couple of week that will again determine his eligibility moving forward.

"There's been so many ups and downs, lefts and rights, you really don't know what's coming up next," he said. "You just go to take it day-to-day; be ready for whatever."

Credit: Charles LeClaire
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) warms up before playing the Arizona Cardinals at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Having Elliott's production back is one thing. He's the most impactful player on a Cowboys offense that must by dynamic for this team to have a chance. But his teammates say his presence is about more than that.

"The way his focus is during the game and throughout the game," said Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, "the way he is outside the football game and inside the locker room and hanging out, so I mean he definitely brings a certain mentality to this team."

A mentality that will be around for at least Sunday's game. How long after that is anyone's guess.

"We'll take it week-by-week and as of this week he's playing," said Prescott, "so that all we're worried about."

If only that were the case for the Cowboys star runner. Instead he has a long list of concerns, many of which aren't going anywhere any time soon.

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