The NFL has suspended Ezekiel Elliott for the first six games of the season for violating the league's personal conduct policy stemming from alleged incidents of domestic violence, but the Cowboys star running back plans to appeal the ruling.
For now, it's business as usual -- or as close to usual as it can be -- in Dallas as the team prepares for the 2017 season. That means Elliott continues to practice with the team, which he did Monday to chants of "Free Zeke" from several fans in attendance. According to ESPN.com's Todd Archer, Elliott went through drills like football was his only concern, and after practice he signed autographs on his way back to the locker room.
"He's hanging in there," running backs coach Gary Brown told Archer. "We just want to be there for him, whatever he needs. I know he's going through a rough time right now, and that's what we're here for as coaches, teammates and especially as a running back group. We're here to rally around him. ...
"You just keep trying to make it light and try to make him smile, things of that nature," Brown continued. "He seems OK. I'm sure that would hurt for anybody going through a situation that is difficult for himself, his family. It's probably hard to stay positive, but we're going to try to keep him positive as much as we can."
Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones was reportedly furious with the suspension, while some of Elliott's teammates were surprised by the severity of the punishment.
"The mood is initially, you're down," said right tackle La'el Collins, "but I think with the support system and everybody that we have in place, I think we're all just hoping for the best and we're behind him 100 percent. And we think at the end of the day we will probably get the best result. We're just going stay behind him and keep supporting his situation."
If the Cowboys are without Elliott for any length of time, they'll turn to running backs Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris and Ronnie Hillman to share the burden. For now, Elliott continues to work out with the team. And his father said Monday that Elliott's "legal [is] team ready" to fight the suspension as aggressively as possible.