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NFL releases statement condemning victim-blaming in Ezekiel Elliott case

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Things between the NFL and NFL Players Association are starting to get a little ugly around the Ezekiel Elliott case.

On Wednesday, Yahoo Sports released new information about Elliott’s accuser in a domestic violence incident. The alleged victim was texting with a friend about possibly blackmailing the Cowboys running back for cash.

Yahoo Sports attained the 160-page document and made those text messages public. But the NFL didn’t appreciate that information being made public. It released a statement about “victim-blaming” later on Wednesday

“It’s a common tactic to attempt to prove the innocence of the accused by discrediting the victim,” the NFL said in its statement. “Common or not, these tactics are shameful. Efforts to shame and blame victims are often what prevent people from coming forward to report violence and/or seek help in the first place.

That statement, however, upset the NFLPA. And the Players Association fired back with a statement of its own.

“The public statement issued on behalf of every NFL owner is a lie. The NFLPA categorically denies the accusations made in this statement. We know the League office has a history of being exposed for its lack of credibility. This is another example of the NFL’s hypocrisy on display and an attempt to create a sideshow to distract from their own failings in dealing with such serious issues. They should be ashamed for stooping to new lows.”

It seems that this whole situation could get really ugly as Elliott appeals his six-game suspension, which was issued from the league on Friday.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB