Cowboys unfazed by domestic abuse allegations against Ezekiel Elliott

Stephen Jones doesn’t think the domestic abuse allegations hanging over first-round pick Ezekiel Elliott will become a distraction.

Elliott has maintained his innocence since a former girlfriend made the claims, and the Cowboys don’t see it becoming an issue.

“I think we know Zeke,” Jones said. “We know his family. Obviously Zeke knows what’s going on here. To me, he seems very confident, moving forward and going to work. It’s hard for me to speak for him. You can ask him that.”

The case has been referred to the Columbus, Ohio prosecutor’s office, and the NFL is investigating the incident. Elliott was not charged or arrested when the woman made the allegations, and four witnesses defended Elliott’s version of the story.

Jones doesn’t know how long the investigation will last into this matter.

“It’s out of our control,” Jones said. “Obviously we hope the sooner the better. I think the league hopes the sooner the better. They’ll get their report completed and we’ll go from there, but it’s out of our control.”

Owner Jerry Jones said Elliott and his representatives informed the Cowboys of the situation immediately, and the team is standing by the homework they did on the former Ohio State All-American throughout the draft process.

“It was a basic reference back to his character, what we know his background is, so you take a certain comfort in that,” Jerry Jones said. “It was, ‘Let’s see what the situation is.’ … We just know to wait and see what the facts – without sounding like an attorney – what the facts are.”

Elliott rushed for more than 1,800 yards in each of his last two seasons at Ohio State, and is expected to play a significant role in the Cowboys’ offense this season.

This story was originally published July 29, 2016 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Cowboys unfazed by domestic abuse allegations against Ezekiel Elliott."