Jason Garrett Says Ezekiel Elliott is “Not Perfect” But “Believes Very Strongly” in Him

Just days after the police suspended the investigation into Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott’s involvement in an altercation that left a man with a broken nose, the team’s owner, executive vice president and head coach insisted they still believed in their running back, despite the recent run-ins with the law.

“We believe in Zeke Elliott,” coach Jason Garrett said during the team’s training camp opening press conference. “We believe very strongly in Zeke as a person and as a football player. We did our due diligence on him. We know everything about him and his background going back to high school, going back to Pop Warner football through high school, through college. We feel very strongly about the kind of person he is and certainly the kind of football player he is. We wouldn’t have drafted him where we drafted him if we didn’t believe that.”

“Having said that,” Garrett continued, before subtly addressing Elliott’s recent headlines. “He’s not perfect, he makes mistakes – we all make mistakes. It’s incumbent upon all of us, everybody in our organization – coaches, players – everybody who is connected with Zeke to help him understand the importance of making good decisions. We’re going to help him grow that way – just like we will every player on our team.”

According to reports, the NFL Players Association recently filed a response that may be the final step in a yearlong investigation into the July domestic violence incident involving Elliott, as it still remains unclear if the baller will be penalized for the alleged assault, despite the fact that charges were never filed and he was never arrested. In addition, the team’s owner, Jerry Jones, revealed that he has reviewed all of the information and “There is absolutely nothing, not one thing that I’ve seen that has anything to do with domestic violence.”