FRISCO -- A suspension looms for Terrance Williams and the Cowboys.

What remains unknown are the length and when it will be handed down.

There's an anticipation that the impending suspension for an incident in May involving the Cowboys receiver will fall in the range of two to four games, sources said. Since no decision has been rendered at this stage -- a source said the NFL has yet to notify Williams of a ruling in writing -- it's unlikely any action will be taken before the Cowboys face Seattle this weekend.

The league is reluctant to issue a ruling late in the week after allowing a player to practice with his team to prepare for an upcoming game. This sensitivity to competitive fairness was evident in the NFL's prolonged battle with Ezekiel Elliott last season.

While Williams should be clear to play against the Seahawks there's a sense the hammer can drop at any point going forward. That's part of the reason the club added Brice Butler earlier in the week, giving the Cowboys the unusually high number of seven receivers on the active roster.

A spokesman for the NFL said late Thursday afternoon the league has no comment. A spokesman for the Cowboys took the same stance.

The uncertainty that hangs over Williams and the club stems from an episode in May when he was arrested on a public intoxication charge. The charge was dismissed after the Cowboys receiver completed a state-mandated alcohol awareness education course and paid for the damages his Lamborghini did to a light pole near his Frisco home.

But that didn't end the issue in the eyes of the NFL. How this unfolds from here appears to hinge on the distinction between misdemeanor intoxication and driving under the influence and whether the league takes action under the personal conduct policy.

If Williams had been charged with driving under the influence by the Frisco police on May 19, precedent indicates the receiver would likely have already been hit with a four-game suspension by the league. But since he wasn't arrested at the scene of the accident -- police stopped him on an electric bike afterward as he tried to return to where his car jumped the curb and crashed into a light pole -- Williams received a lesser charge.

The attorney for Williams issued a statement on Aug. 1, stating the Class C misdemeanor charge of public intoxication had been dismissed upon completion of an alcohol awareness class. The statement also made clear that any damage and labor costs associated with the accident had been settled.

"The Frisco Police Department has reported that no additional charges are pending nor forthcoming,'' the statement read. "With this sole case now dismissed, this makes the resolution of all matters."

The Frisco police department confirmed one day later that Williams paid $2,680.11 to the city for damages from the accident. A spokesman said the dismissal and civil payment are common once the state-mandated alcohol education course is completed.

Williams spoke publicly on Aug. 5 for the first and only time since the episode, telling reporters in training camp, "I don't want to talk about that.''

Avoiding legal charges hasn't put the issue to rest. The NFL retains the right to take action under the personal conduct policy, which states the commissioner has the authority to address, among other discretions, "conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in'' the NFL or an action that "damages the reputation of others in the game and undercuts respect and support for the NFL."

There are several elements at work here. While the charge was dismissed, Williams did pay for property damage. He initially accused fellow NFL receiver and former Baylor teammate Kendall Wright for driving the car at the time of the accident, but released a statement through his lawyer the next day acknowledging he was the driver.

All of this is on top of the embarrassing videotape of the arrest.

It's a complicated issue, one the league continues to sort through.

It's an issue likely to cost Williams games in the near future.

Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.