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The stay of the temporary injunction previously given to Ezekiel Elliott was granted Thursday, meaning the Dallas Cowboys running back will have to serve his suspension while the case is ruled upon.

Per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram, the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against Elliott by throwing out his preliminary injunction.



Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News summed up what the appeals court's decision meant for Elliott:

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network broke down the decision:

Elliott's lawyer, Frank Salzano, released a comment on the decision, via Rapoport:

The NFL also released a statement, per Rapoport:

ESPN's Adam Schefter noted Elliott could re-file the case in Dallas as well as New York.



This comes after Hill reported on Sept. 13 that the NFL attempted to accelerate the appeal process of the injunction of Elliott's six-game suspension. The league filed paperwork asking U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant to make a decision by Sept. 14; otherwise, the league would take the case to the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Hill noted the NFL filed a motion on Sept. 11 "for a stay of the injunction that is keeping Elliott on the field until the lawsuit makes it way through the court system, which could take months."

"If the stay is granted, Elliott will have to serve the suspension immediately while the case is being ruled in court," Hill wrote. "If it is denied, he is likely to play the rest of the season as the suit challenging the NFL's 'fairness' in the appeal of the suspension moves to trial."

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Andrew Brandt of The MMQB noted the NFL referenced the collectively bargained agreement and the Tom Brady Deflategate case, which dragged on for an extensive period of time before the New England Patriots quarterback ultimately served his four-game suspension:

Breer initially reported in September that Mazzant granted the temporary restraining order/injunction on the six-game suspension.

ESPN's Josina Anderson shared a copy of Mazzant's opinion at the time:

The NFL also issued a statement after the September ruling, per Brian McCarthy of the league's PR office: "We strongly believe that the investigation and evidence supported the Commissioner's decision and that the process was meticulous and fair throughout. We will review the decision in greater detail and discuss next steps with counsel, both in the district court and federal court of appeals."

Elliott was previously cleared to play in the Cowboys' Week 1 game against the New York Giants while the two sides were waiting on the injunction decision and finished with 104 rushing yards and 36 receiving yards in his team's 19-3 victory.

Elliott was suspended six games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy for his alleged role in a domestic violence case from July 2016.