An arbitrator denied Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott's appeal of a six-game suspension in a domestic violence case Tuesday, but the 2016 NFL rushing champion will play in the opener because of the timing of the decision. Elliott attorney Jeffrey Kessler told the judge near the end of a nearly 2 1/2-hour hearing in federal court that Elliott's suspension was sustained by arbitrator Harold Henderson. The 22-year-old Elliott denied the allegations in sworn testimony during an appeal hearing last week. Last year, Elliott missed a large portion of the pre-season because of a hamstring injury before rushing for 1,631 yards and helping the Cowboys to a 13-3 record. The Cowboys didn't use Elliott in the first three pre-season games but he had eight touches in 10 plays in his only series in the finale against Oakland as the appeal case played out.

Source: CBC News September 06, 2017 01:34 UTC