Back in November with the NFL season in full swing, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was accused of battery, assault, and false imprisonment by an ex-girlfriend and faces a pending lawsuit. Once the claims were made, there was some serious question as to whether Cook would face an immediate suspension, falling under the league’s personal conduct policy.
Weeks went by and we hadn’t heard a peep. Cook played in all the games he was healthy for this season.
Meanwhile, Cook and his camp counter-sued, raising his own case of defamation against his accuser.
On Thursday, a Dakota County judge in Minnesota moved the court case to March 24 in a virtual hearing, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune.
As of now, there’s no telling which way the case will go.
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However, if you go off the indication of Cook’s agent Zac Hiller of LAA Sports & Entertainment, the case seems to be going Dalvin’s way in the early going, based on his response to Goessling’s initial report.
It makes sense for his agent to have his back. He’s looking out for his client’s best interests, it’s pretty much his job. As far as what that actually means, whether Cook is innocent or guilty, we’ll leave that one up to the courts.
Much like the NFL, we’re not going to rush to judgment on this one. Obviously, Cook was charged with some serious crimes, in which the reported details are not pretty. At the same time, he’s a high-profile player participating in the world’s most popular sport. There are going to be temptations and moments when people target him simply based on his status.
He has a major platform, where millions know his name and his fame, and everything that’s included with being a professional football player. He needs to remove all doubt and avoid any potential situations like this in the future, if possible.
We’ll see if the NFL ultimately decides to punish Cook in the form of a suspension, but the court case should help them get closer to revealing the truth. He may not face any punishment at all.