As potential legal entanglements for Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott go, this one is fairly minor. But for a guy who should be more careful than most given the other situations with which he’s dealing, it stands out.
Via the Dallas Morning News, Elliott was cited for going 100 mph in his 2016 Dodge Charger earlier this year. In isolation, it’s not a big deal. News flash: Sometimes people drive too fast. But it was a dry day with light traffic and Elliott was driving in an area where the speed limit is 70, not a school zone in a monsoon.
Should he have done it? No. Do plenty of people give in from time to time to the temptation to see what modern cars with speedometers that go to 220 (the Charger’s does) and engines that beg to be pushed to higher speeds the faster they go? Yes. [Editor’s note: This is not a personal admission of guilt.]
For Elliott, the still-developing brain of a 21-year-old caused him to roll the dice and punch it, and there’s a good chance it wasn’t the only time he did it. Now, he’ll have this incident added to a growing list of annoyances that will do little to get the NFL to give him the benefit of the doubt as to the much more serious allegation of domestic violence, which continues to be not resolved by the league.
The status of Elliott’s speeding ticket isn’t clear. The article says he has appealed the misdemeanor conviction, but also that he entered a plea of no contest to it. The factual or legal basis for any appeal isn’t mentioned.
Again, it’s not a major problem standing alone. But Elliott needs to be much more aware of how these little things can pile up and become a big mess for Elliott and the Cowboys.
