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The good news for Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is that Judge Amos L. Mazzant III issued an order blocking Elliott’s suspension pending the outcome of the litigation filed by Elliott in Texas. The bad news is that the litigation filed by Elliott in Texas could in theory end sooner than later.

A footnote in the official ruling makes it clear that Judge Mazzant may still decide to dismiss the case entirely, based on the argument that it was filed prematurely. More paperwork in association with that specific effort by the league still needs to be filed. Once the argument is ripe for consideration, Judge Mazzant will issue a decision, and he could punt the case in deference to the lawsuit the NFL filed in New York.

But here’s the practical reality of the situation. With Judge Mazzant concluding that “[f]undamental unfairness is present throughout the entire arbitration process,” he’s more likely to be inclined to retain control of the case in order to ensure that the case is processed with the benefit of his conclusions, given that another judge may feel differently. This would result in a different type of justice being dispensed than that which Judge Mazzant believes is justified.

Still, if Judge Mazzant decides to dismiss the case, Elliott would need to move immediately in the New York case to get the injunction maintained so that he can still play pending the outcome of the case. That decision is therefore the next key step in this ongoing legal odyssey.