Ezekiel Elliott, whose strong effort on a football field is pretty clear if you’ve ever watched the Dallas Cowboys running back, apologized for not running after an interception last Sunday.

Elliott not hustling after quarterback Dak Prescott threw an interception against the Denver Broncos became a big topic early in the week, with serious overreactions about a player who has never been questioned for lack of effort on a football field. Elliott said he heard the criticisms, particularly from Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson, and admitted he should have done better. He said he was frustrated, after gaining just 8 yards in a blowout loss.

“I would say I was just very frustrated, but that’s no excuse for the lack of effort I showed on tape,” Elliott said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “I just can’t do that. Being one of the leaders on the team and being a guy that people count on, I can’t put that type of stuff on film.”

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Elliott said it was a mistake and wouldn’t happen again – and clearly it won’t, because the body language police will be watching his every move from here on out.

“Just bad effort,” Elliott said, according to the Morning News. “It’s definitely not me. It’s definitely not the type of player I am. It’s definitely not who I am for this team.

“I just can’t do that. I was frustrated, and I wasn’t myself.”

This never should have been a big deal, but it became one. Elliott made a mistake not running after an interception, but it shouldn’t have become a national controversy, especially since nothing Elliott has done on the field has ever been a problem.

But now that Elliott has apologized because cameras found him not giving full effort on one play, a play in which he had little chance to make a tackle, that should quiet things down. For a while, anyway.

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Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott apologized for not hustling after an interception by the Broncos. (AP) More

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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