Texas judge denies NFL bid to reinstate Ezekiel Elliott suspension

FRISCO, Texas – A federal judge in Texas has denied the NFL’s request to suspend his injunction that blocked a six-game suspension for Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant on Monday was expected and came after the NFL had already moved on to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans with the same request.

In his ruling, Mazzant criticized the NFL for not waiting for his decision after using the argument of premature filings against the NFL Players Association in Elliott’s request for the injunction. The judge wrote that the “irony is not lost on the court.”

The NFL filed a request for an emergency stay with the appeals court Friday, and the union issued a response the next day. The league responded to the union’s filing Monday. All the filings make similar arguments from the original lawsuit the NFLPA filed on Elliott’s behalf in Mazzant’s court.