Cowboys’ Elliott drops appeal, will serve rest of 6-game suspension

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has dropped his appeal with five games remaining on his six-game suspension over alleged domestic violence.

Elliott’s agents said Wednesday the decision by last year’s NFL rushing leader “is in no way an admission of wrongdoing.” They said Elliott’s decision came from “a practical assessment of the current legal landscape.”

Elliott had a hearing set in a federal appeals court on Dec. 1, four games into the suspension.

He served the first game in Dallas’ 27-7 loss to Atlanta last weekend. By accepting the six games, Elliott is eligible to return for the final two games: Dec. 24 at home against Seattle and Dec. 31 at Philadelphia.

The 22-year-old Elliott was suspended in August after the league concluded following a yearlong investigation that he had several physical confrontations in the summer of 2016 with Tiffany Thompson, his girlfriend at the time. Prosecutors in Ohio didn’t pursue the case. Elliott denied the allegations under oath during his NFL appeal.