Stephen Jones Blasts Ezekiel Elliott
During the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys were very supportive of running back Ezekiel Elliott, who was suspended for six games by the league. Now that the regular season is over, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones has a clear message for his running back.
“I know Zeke wants to be great — I’m convinced of that, that he wants to be great,” Stephen Jones said this week from Senior Bowl practices. “He’s also got to understand that, to be great, you can’t have these things that we call distractions and things of that nature. Things that take away, not only from him, but from our team.”
Jones was referring to the fact that Elliott’s suspension and the appeals that followed was a major distraction during the season, which ended with a disappointing 9-7 record.
In addition to the suspension, Elliott hasn’t always made the best decisions.
The running back visited a marijuana dispensary during a 2016 preseason game in Seattle; he allegedly exposed a woman’s breast during a St. Patrick’s Day parade in March 2017; and was also involved in a “late-night incident” at a Dallas bar when in July 2017.
Jones is hoping Elliott can exercise better decision making skills this offseason and avoid putting himself in situations that can lead to more distractions or another suspension from the league.
“I can only say you hope so. Zeke needs to answer that question,” Stephen Jones said. “Obviously, right up through the start of last season, there were things that were popping up. We haven’t seen that as of late and hopefully that’s a good indicator that he understands.”
Jones added that even though the team had safeguards for their players, it is up to them to hold themselves accountable.
“We have our infrastructure in place that we’re always working to help our players,” Stephen Jones said. “It’s certainly there for them. At the same time, you can’t be with them every waking hour. At some point, they’re men. They have to be accountable to themselves and I know that they know that they have to be accountable to the organization.”
