Dallas Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott appeals six-game suspension from NFL

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Show Caption Hide Caption Elliott suspension: What it means for the Cowboys SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Lorenzo Reyes details Ezekiel Elliot's six-game suspension, as well as what an appeal could look like and how this impacts the Cowboys on the field.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott officially appealed his six-game suspension from the NFL on Tuesday, setting the stage for a potential showdown between the league and one of its rising young stars.

"Our union has appealed the NFL’s six-game suspension of Ezekiel Elliott," the NFL Players Association wrote in a statement. "We will represent Ezekiel, as we do all players, to ensure that the NFL is held to its obligation of adhering to principles of industrial due process under the collective bargaining agreement. "

After the ban for violating the league's personal conduct policy was handed down Friday — Elliott was accused of domestic violence by a former girlfriend but never arrested or charged — the second-year player's representatives wrote that the NFL's findings "are replete with factual inaccuracies and erroneous conclusions."

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The woman, who said she used to live with Elliott, reported multiple domestic violence incidents to authorities last year, including one in Columbus, Ohio, in July 2016 that led to a police investigation. The Columbus City Attorney’s Office chose not to file criminal charges, citing conflicting and inconsistent information.

USA TODAY Sports does not identify alleged victims of domestic violence.

The NFL's special counsel for personal conduct wrote in a letter to the running back that four external advisers, who met with Elliott and his legal team, "were of the view that there is substantial and persuasive evidence supporting a finding that (Elliott) engaged in physical violence" against the woman on multiple occasions in July 2016.

In a statement posted to Twitter, Elliott wrote that he "strongly disagrees" with the discoveries listed in the report.

Elliott, 22, led the NFL in rushing with 1,631 yards on 322 carries as a rookie and was a first-team all-pro.

PHOTOS: Ezekiel Elliott's career