Giving his annual state of the league press conference in Houston in the lead up to Super Bowl LI, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discussed a wade range of issues.
Though, one of the most-interesting comments he made had to do with the status of an NFL investigation surrounding domestic violence allegations against Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Goodell provides no timetable for completion of NFL's investigation into allegations involving Ezekiel Elliott.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) February 1, 2017
The allegations against Elliott continued to act as a distraction in what was an otherwise tremendous rookie season for the running back. They stem from multiple alleged incidents in the past, all of which authorities have cleared Elliott of any wrongdoing (more on that here).
Unfortunately for Elliott, who is frustrated over the drawn-out process, the NFL plays by a different set of rules than the American justice system. He doesn’t necessarily need to be found guilty in a court of law for the league to exact punishment against him.
As it relates to Goodell, this is pretty much a continuation of his stance about the investigation from back in December when he noted there was no timetable for completion of the investigation.
One has to wonder what is taking the league so long. But now that Elliott and his Cowboys are headed to the offseason, any potential punishment wouldn’t occur until the start of the 2017 season.