The National Football League released a statement on Wednesday claiming “Over the past few days we’ve received multiple reports of the NFLPA spreading derogatory information to the media about the victim in Ezekiel Elliott discipline case.”
Joe Lockhard, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, expanded on the issue in a statement released Wednesday afternoon, stating that “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.”
The NFLPA quickly released a statement of their own, categorically denying the NFL’s assertions as “lies.”
According to the official released posted on the NFLPA Twitter account: ”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.”
The public feud between the two parties stems from the NFL suspending Dallas Cowboy star running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games of the 2017 NFL season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy relating to a domestic violence incident.
Elliott is set to have his appeal hearing on August 29th with arbiter Harold Henderson, a former chairman of the NFL’s management council executive committee. Henderson is best known for reducing former defensive end Greg Hardy’s 10 game suspension to four two seasons ago while upholding Adrian Peterson’s indefinite suspension for child abuse.
