Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot was detained while at a music festival in Las Vegas over the weekend, police say.
In video footage obtained by TMZ, Elliot can be seen arguing with his girlfriend in a parking lot early on May 19. While he never touches the woman, he does block her from leaving with his body. Later in the video, he is also seen talking to members of the event staff, which became confrontational. “You got something to say?!” Elliot said to the staff member, before using his body to shove a man backwards until the man hit a gate.
“I didn’t do anything,” Elliot said, while police placed him in handcuffs.
Ezekiel Elliott Handcuffed at EDC Vegas After Knocking Man to the Ground https://t.co/CZXj2HUFbc
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 20, 2019
In a statement obtained by The Dallas Morning News, police said Elliot pushed a security officer to the ground around 3 a.m. on Sunday.
“Two officers approached and placed Elliott into handcuffs while they investigated the incident,” the statement reads. “The security guard who was the victim of the misdemeanor battery refused to press charges and officers escorted Elliott a short distance away and he was released.”
Police officer Laura Meltzer also confirmed the story and said in a statement obtained by ESPN that “the security guard who was the victim of the misdemeanor battery refused to press charges.”
Meanwhile, Elliot’s lawyer, Frank Salzano, told TMZ that “security misunderstood and overreacted to the situation.”
In 2017, Elliot served a six-game suspension for “violating the league’s personal conduct policy,” according to ESPN.
Previously, Elliot was also involved in a series of incidents, but he has never been arrested or charged with a crime.
Judge blocks six-game suspension that the NFL gave Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott over domestic violence case. https://t.co/xIm64zze8T
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 9, 2017
In 2016, he visited a marijuana dispenary before a preseason game in Seattle, which, while legal in Washington, is banned by the NFL.
“It’s just not good,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said at the time. “That’s a part of just really getting the big picture here.”
That same year, Elliot was investigated for domestic violence allegations by a former girlfriend, which led to the six-game NFL suspension in 2017.
#NFL continues to follow investigation into allegation by former girlfriend that Ezekiel Elliott committed domestic violence against her
— Ed Werder (@EdwerderRFA) August 26, 2016
Then, Elliot was also publicly linked to an altercation at a bar where he left a disc jockey with a broken nose.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote at the time that, “An NFL official said the league is aware of the situation involving Elliott and ‘looking into it to understand the facts.” He was the first to report on the incident.
“The witness says she saw Ezekiel punch the man—corroborating the story the victim’s friend told police. However, cops at the scene could not confirm Zeke was the attacker and he has not been arrested or charged with a crime,” according to TMZ.
The #EzekielElliott / @TMZ situation is one that we will likely be interviewing #Cowboys bosses Jerry and Stephen Jones about this afternoon. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/kAJs4WbteW
— mike fisher ✭ (@fishsports) May 20, 2019
Despite all the near-brushes with the law, the Cowboys have always supported Elliot.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Cowboy’s executive vice president Stephen Jones said, “We all know when you’re young and coming out of school you’re 20, 21 years old, I know I did, I didn’t do things exactly right. You stumble. But he certainly learned from some tough times. …We’re lucky to have Zeke Elliott on this football team and our goal is to keep Zeke Elliott here for many years to come. And he’ll deserve everything that he has coming.”
Stephen Jones Responds To Report That Zeke Was Handcuffed At A Las Vegas Festival: https://t.co/577HdnJaFv
— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) May 20, 2019