Kia Roberts, who suggested no discipline in Elliott suspension case, leaves NFL

Kia Roberts, the lead investigator whose recommendation of no suspension for Ezekiel Elliott was at the heart of the Dallas Cowboys running back’s legal fight against a six-game ban, no longer works for the NFL, according to multiple sources.

Elliott was suspended for six games during the 2017 season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

A call to the NFL switchboard confirmed that Roberts no longer works for the NFL.

Roberts left for personal reasons unrelated to Elliott’s case., according to a source.

Elliott eventually lost his case in court and served his suspension.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the NFL have moved on and consider the matter closed after Jones reimbursed the league more than $2 million in legal fees stemming from Elliott’s court case and his opposition of a new contract extension for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Robert’s departure gives the league some closure on a seemingly ugly internal battle between Roberts and NFL senior vice president of investigations Lisa Friel that played out in court.

One league observer expressed surprise that Friel is remaining in her role.

Roberts is the only person who interviewed Elliott’s accuser, Tiffany Thompson, and all other witnesses during the investigation. Citing inconsistencies with her testimony and credibility concerns with Thompson, Roberts recommended no suspension for Elliott, who was never arrested or charged in the case.

Friel, however, did recommend a six-game suspension for Elliott during a meeting with Goodell and other NFL executives that Roberts was not allowed to attend.

Upon his suspension from Goodell, Roberts' recommendation and opinion became a focal point of Elliott’s appeal to league arbitrator Harold Henderson and subsequently his fight against the NFL in federal court.

Roberts’ recommendation of no discipline is the main reason Jones expressed so much confidence in the case until the NFL announced the suspension on Aug. 11.

Jones was told by Goodell that there would be no suspension and Jones considered the suspension a breach of trust, according to a source..

Roberts’ recommendation never made it into the NFL’s final report or the official suspension letter, which cited the league’s findings of three instances of domestic violence by Elliott against Thompson based on the victim’s testimony and photographic evidence.

Judge Amos Mazzant of the Eastern District of Texas cited Roberts when he initially imposed upon Elliott a temporary restraining order before the Cowboys’ 2017 regular-season opener, setting in motion a series of legal events that allowed Elliott to play in the Cowboys’ first eight games.

“The NFL’s actions demonstrate that from the very beginning of the decision-making process, a cloud of fundamental unfairness followed Elliott. Unfortunately, this cloud followed Elliott into the arbitration proceedings. The arbitration record shows that the NFL, at the very least, turned a blind eye to Roberts’ dissenting opinion. This entire set of circumstances was put in front of Henderson.”

Elliott’s suspension and Goodell’s power do as he pleases were finally affirmed by the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals in New York following five court hearings.

Elliott served his six games before returning to play the final two in a disappointing Cowboys season that ended with a 9-7 record, including a 3-3 mark without their leading rusher.

Roberts is gone and Elliott has has since moved on and is focused on playing a full season in 2018.

Jones and Goodell appear to have a working relationship again.

Jones said he has no regrets about offering a letter of support for Elliott during his legal fight and understands it came with consequences.

“When you get pretty supportive, then you run or get a chance to pay the fiddler," Jones said Tuesday from the NFL owners meetings in Orlando. "I have understood that. The commissioner has that power."

This story was originally published March 29, 2018 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Kia Roberts, who suggested no discipline in Elliott suspension case, leaves NFL."