Most believed that Ezekiel Elliott would be eligible for the regular-season opener if arbitrator Harold Henderson hadn’t made a ruling by 3 p.m. today.
That had been thought to be a long-standing policy by the NFL … except it isn’t. The NFL does not have a rule or policy as to when a player is eligible for a game with a pending suspension, spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email.
And it also has nothing to do with salary. A suspended player in Elliott’s case will forfeit his game salary if he’s suspended.
So Henderson could issue a decision later in the week and that could affect Elliott’s status for the season opener.