SHERMAN -- Ezekiel Elliott's running lane in his attempt to overturn his six-game NFL suspension for domestic violence became clearer and narrower Tuesday.

The Dallas Cowboys running back will indeed play in Sunday's season opener against the New York Giants, but when he plays again depends solely on being granted a preliminary injunction by a federal judge or winning a stay order on appeal. A ruling is expected by 5 p.m. Friday.

Another avenue for Elliott closed Tuesday evening when arbitrator Harold Henderson announced that he had denied Elliott's NFL appeal, ruling to uphold NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's decision to discipline Elliott for what the league says was use of physical force against former girlfriend Tiffany Thompson last year.

Jeffrey Kessler, Elliott's lawyer, broke the news to the courtroom after receiving it on his Blackberry near the end of Tuesday's hearing in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Texas.

It was a key development because it resolved some earlier questions during the hearing about the court's jurisdiction to hear Elliott's motion for an injunction. The NFL argued that a court couldn't interfere with the arbitration process before a decision had been reached.

The NFL's attorneys confirmed to judge Amos Mazzant III at the beginning of the hearing, and again after Henderson's ruling, that Elliott would be allowed to play against the Giants because of the timing of when Henderson's decision came down during a game week.

If Elliott is not granted an injunction, his suspension will begin next week. The Cowboys travel to Denver in Week 2.

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Elliott attended the hearing, wearing a suit and sitting front and center with his representatives, facing the judge for almost all of the two-and-a-half hour proceeding that ended about 7:30 p.m.

Dozens of Cowboys fans, interested observers and reporters filled the long benches of the second-floor courtroom and waited outside of Paul Brown United States Courthouse in Sherman, about an hour north of Dallas.

Mazzant said additional filings would be due at end of day Wednesday, and that he'd rule by 5 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, the NFL is making a play to have the case moved to the Southern District of New York, although it's unlikely since proceedings have already occurred in Texas. The NFL filed a motion late Tuesday night in New York, a district traditionally favorable to the league, to confirm Henderson's arbitration ruling.

As the case continues in the Eastern District of Texas, Mazzant will weigh whether Elliott meets the criteria required to receive an injunction, which would likely keep Elliott on the field for the remainder of the NFL season as the league appeals.

Elliott must be able to prove four elements: a likelihood of success on the merits of the case; a substantial threat to suffering irreparable harm; threatened injury that outweighs any damage the injunction might cause the NFL; and no disservice to the public interest from the injunction.

The only real question, law experts say, is being able to prove likelihood of success.

Courts give broad deference to arbitration decisions, which was again confirmed when New England quarterback Tom Brady fought his "Deflategate suspension" though the court system. But Brady still delayed the punishment for a full season while it unfolded.

NFL lawyer Daniel Nash relied Tuesday on the broad power given to Goodell through the collective bargaining agreement in his arguments.

"An injunction would be a blatant interference with the collective bargaining agreement we have," he said.

Nash also said the NFL would suffer harm because improper use of courts would allow players to manipulate their suspensions.

Mazzant said he'd spent the Labor Day weekend reading through Elliott's court filings and documents, and that he's looked at the cases of Brady and NFL running back Adrian Peterson.

Elliott's representatives on Tuesday railed against the NFL's investigative procedures. They have accused the NFL of conspiring to hide the doubts Kia Roberts, the NFL's director of investigations, had about Elliott's accuser from Goodell because it could improve Elliott's chances.

Elliott's team harped on Henderson's rulings that kept the accuser, Thompson, from appearing at last week's arbitration hearing in New York City, and not requiring Roberts' notes about their interviews to be submitted. They also say they should've had the right to question Goodell about what he knew about Roberts' conclusions, since he made the decision.

The NFL said Roberts' concerns about Thompson's credibility were presented to Goodell and were included in the 160-page Elliott report she co-authored, though she was not part of a meeting where the discipline was determined.

Mazzant zeroed in on Elliott's argument about Roberts when questioning the lawyers.

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Mazzant called the questions about Roberts a series of events that he just can't ignore, as they go directly to the issue of fundamental fairness.

The judge addressed his specific task -- it's not to rule on what did or didn't happen, it's whether the process was fair.

Elliott's representatives raised many questions about Goodell's decision to discipline the running back during his NFL appeal hearing, focusing on the league's reliance on photographs of bruises and the motives and inconsistency of Thompson's version of events. Elliott has denied the claims.

But ultimately, Henderson, who was appointed as arbitrator by Goodell, upheld the decision.

Henderson said in a statement via ESPN that his task was to determine if Goodell made an "arbitrary and capricious" decision and if the NFL presented credible evidence.

"I find it unnecessary to reexamine all the evidence presented in this record because my careful and diligent review of everything the Commissioner reviewed and relied on draws me to the conclusion that the record contains sufficient credible evidence," he said in part. "While the record contains inconsistencies in statements, an adjudicator makes informed judgments on the credibility of witnesses and evidence."

Elliott's representatives also released a statement on the decision.

"We are extremely disappointed with Mr. Henderson's inability to navigate through league politics and follow the evidence and, most importantly, his conscious. ...Mr. Elliott is looking forward to having his day in federal court where the playing field will be level and the NFL will have to answer for its unfair and unjust practices."

Supporters of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott wait outside the Paul Brown U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 in Sherman, Texas during a federal court hearing on Elliott's preliminary injunction to block the NFL's ruling on his appeal for a six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News) (Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

Several dozen fans gathered outside the federal courthouse for a glimpse of Elliott.

"We don't get celebrities here very often," said Brittney Segrest of Sherman, who was trying to explain the role of the judge and the hearing in terms her 4-year-old son Caige could understand while they waited. "This is something big for us."

Some people drove by the courthouse with their windows down, taking photos or video of the mostly pro-Elliott crowd and the media. Every now and then there would be a horn honking or a drawn out yell for "Zeke!"

"We're here to support him," said Trey Crowley, who stood across the street with a sign that read "Believe text messages." His son, Raymond Coyle, had his own sign: "Let Zeke Eat."

Three friends wearing their uniforms from work at Hutchins Services, which does plumbing, heating and air conditioning, stopped by as well with notebook paper signs that read "not guilty." "I don't agree with domestic violence," said Derrick Dixon, adding that the hearing should be a non-issue since no criminal charges were filed against Elliott.

Luke Baio, a Cowboys fan who co-owns Don's BBQ two doors down from the courthouse, said he turned out to show some Texas hospitality. "He just needs to get this straightened out," he said of Elliott.

Staff writer Valerie Wigglesworth contributed to this report from Sherman.

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