Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott could learn NFL decision as soon as Friday

There is no update on the NFL’s now 13-month domestic violence investigation of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

That was the official word from an NFL spokesman on Thursday.

But there is no question a decision is imminent and could come down as soon Friday.

Every thing is in place for a decision and the Cowboys expect something soon, as owner Jerry Jones and vice president Stephen Jones have stated repeatedly while continuing to contend that Elliott will not be suspended.

Coach Jason Garrett said the uncertainty of the situation has had no effect on Elliott’s play in camp or the team’s approach.

“I just think the biggest thing for all of us is just to focus on what we need to do, each and every day,” Garrett said. “We have no information on that particular situation. You just come to work and you try to get better every day as a player, as a coach and as a team.”

Elliott is not the only Cowboys player in camp under the scrutiny of an NFL investigation.

Linebacker Damien Wilson put himself in the crosshairs of an NFL suspension with a July 4th arrest in Frisco on two counts of felony aggravated assault for allegedly hitting a woman with a car and brandishing a fire arm following a parking lot dispute.

Safety Nolan Carroll was arrested by Dallas police in May for driving while intoxicated. A conviction for a DWI traditionally draws a two-game suspension from the NFL under the personal conduct policy.

But just like with Elliott, sources believe there could be positive outcomes in those situations.

While Wilson was arrested following the incident at Toyota Stadium on July 4, there is no case in the system, according to the Collin County clerk’s office. He has not been indicted or charged. The district attorney hasn’t decided if they are going to make or drop the case.

There is also a chance one of the allegations could be thrown out and one could be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, per a source.

Wilson said after practice on Thursday that he is hoping and believing the case will be dropped completely.

He said he hasn’t let it affect his approach to training camp and his work in practices because he’s an innocent man.

Certainly, he could still draw scrutiny from the NFL under the personal conduct policy, but no conviction or a reduction of charges would seemingly mitigate any league discipline.

Even more important, the time it is taking Frisco to decide on making a case makes it more unlikely the NFL would rule on a possible suspension during the 2017 season.

Per a source, that’s a similar understanding Carroll has regarding his DWI case — that the NFL might not address it until after the season.

At that time, it might not be a case at all, as he hopes it gets dropped.

Carroll has a court date set for Aug. 22.

There are those in his camp who believe the district attorney might decline to pursue the case because his blood alcohol level was .08, the minimum for arrest, as well as questions concerning police conduct with the stop and the field sobriety test.

The initial report indicated Carroll was driving on the wrong side of the road, prompting the officer to pull him over.

But dash cam video shows that Carroll was on the correct side of the road.

Carroll believes he was stopped because he was driving a White Ferrari at 2:30 a.m. on McKinney Avenue in Uptown Dallas.

His legal team also believes mistakes were made in administering the field sobriety test, which they claim he passed, and that he was arrested once he indicated he was a member of the Cowboys, per a source.

If the stop was questionable, the evidence could be thrown out as well.

Either way, there is a chance Wilson and Carroll escape NFL discipline in 2017.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott could learn NFL decision as soon as Friday."