Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones expects star running back Ezekiel Elliott to avoid league discipline despite a recent incident involving security guards at a Las Vegas music festival.
Elliott briefly was placed in handcuffs and detained by police, but he was not arrested. A video showing part of the incident was released by the gossip website TMZ.
Jones downplayed the incident as he praised Elliott, who drew positive headlines earlier this offseason when he paid for the funeral of a teenage football player who was killed by a stray bullet in East St. Louis, Ill. Elliott grew up on the Missouri side of the river and maintains close ties to the St. Louis area.
“I think that the main thing is that I don’t see anything that needs supporting,” Jones said Thursday. “In terms of his status with us, (it) has not been impacted in any way. And frankly, I know how conscientious he has been in the offseason, and that’s good enough. No, I don’t see that having any consequences for us.”
Cowboys executives have indicated a desire to extend Elliott’s contract past 2020, when it is due to expire. Elliott, 23, rushed for 1,434 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games last season.
“I think that he’s certainly has had a great offseason, had a great year last year, and I think that’ll speak for itself,” Jones said. “So I think that, yes, his overall career at this point is in a really positive place.”
