Overview
In a short Order this evening, Judge Crotty (sitting in Part I for Judge Failla), granted the NFL Players Association a TRO to place on hold the six-game suspension of Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
The ruling explains that, absent a TRO, “Mr. Elliott would suffer irreparable harm because he stands to miss more than one-third of the NFL's regular season.”
Judge Crotty also found "significant issues implicating the fundamental fairness of the arbitration proceeding” that resulted in the suspension:
Defendant [the NFL Players Association] was denied the opportunity to confront the accusing witness and it had no opportunity to cross examine this witness on the alleged domestic violence. This is significant because there were substantial questions concerning the credibility of the accusing witness. Defendant was also denied the opportunity to question NFL Commissioner Goodell regarding whether he was aware that the accuser of domestic violence was not credible. In effect, Defendant was deprived of opportunities to explore pertinent and material evidence, which raises sufficiently serious questions.
