by: Kirstie Chiappelli
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in New York on Tuesday to discuss an incident at a music festival in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Elliott shared a statement on Twitter confirming the meeting, saying he is working hard to ensure he stays out of trouble in the future.
“Earlier today, I met with the Commissioner to share with him what occurred in Las Vegas and what I have learned from that incident,” Elliott wrote. “I’ve worked hard to make better decisions and to live up to the high standard that are expected of me.
“I failed to do that here and I made a poor decision.”
Elliott added that he apologized to the man he shoved at the time of the incident and “meant it.”
“I need to work harder on myself to ensure I do not put myself in compromised situations in the future,” Elliott continued. “I am rededicating myself to use all of the resources that the league has made available. But in the end, it is up to me and I am determined not to be in this position again.
Elliott was handcuffed at the Electric Daisy Carnival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in May after a shoving incident with an event staffer. Elliot had been seen arguing with his girlfriend in the parking lot of the event before the altercation.
Elliott’s attorney, Frank Salzano, told TMZ Sports that his client was detained but not formally arrested or charged.
“Security misconstrued and overreacted to the situation,” Salzano said. “He was cuffed as a precautionary measure. He was released with no charges. He left Vegas that night and [then] went to his [youth football camp in Dallas].”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones later said he doesn’t see the NFL taking any action against Elliott, though the summit is an indication that he could face discipline for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
“I think that the main thing is that I don’t see anything that needs supporting,” Jones told the Dallas Morning News. “In terms of his status with us, (it) has not been impacted in any way. And frankly, I know how conscientious he has been in the offseason, and that’s good enough. No, I don’t see that having any consequences for us.”
Elliot previously has been suspended for an off-field altercation in which he was accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend, though he wasn’t arrested or charged.
The latest incident comes after Dallas picked up the fifth-year option on Elliott’s rookie contract that will pay him $9.1 million for the 2020 season. He is set to make $3.9 million in 2019.
