FRISCO -- Ezekiel Elliott's unpredictable and ambling legal battle led him back to the Cowboys' practice facility Friday to prepare for a game it didn't appear he'd be able to play.
An administrative stay from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals clears the way for the running back to start this weekend against Kansas City. The development provides no insight into Elliott's future beyond this weekend -- the stay has nothing to do with the merits of the case, only the fact that the court wasn't able to get to it before Sunday's game -- but it does keep him on the field for now.
A three-judge panel will hear the appeal in the coming days. For now, Elliott has been granted a reprieve from serving his NFL suspension for domestic violence.
Again.
The player's legal team and the NFL Players Association have been successful in delaying the implementation of the six-game suspension since it was levied by Commissioner Roger Goodell in August. His uncertain status is far from ideal for the Cowboys as the team enters the heart of its schedule.
Still, Elliott made it clear Friday afternoon he has not once considered accepting the suspension.
"No," he said. "This is bigger than a suspension. It's bigger than football, them [the NFL] trying to make me something I'm not.
"I'm not an abuser. That's not who I am. This is my name and this is my reputation. This is something I'm going to have to life with beyond football.
"Every day is worth fighting."
Owner Jerry Jones was noticeably upbeat upon hearing the news.
"I've never seen such an ambiguous circumstance as to whether or not you're going to have a player that can impact the game the way that Zeke does available or not," Jones said during his weekly Friday appearance on "The Fan" KRLD-FM (105.3). "To have it done in this manner where it depends upon whether somebody wants to rule or not is a new experience for us.
"I'm having a lot of problems reconciling, going through, 'What about this ruling? This court?' I even have to sit down and decide when I read it whether it was good or bad for Zeke.
"I have to get oriented every time I look at the situation."
Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the Southern District of New York ruled earlier in the week that the suspension should begin immediately. Elliott was placed on the suspended list Wednesday and was not allowed to practice or have any contact with the team on Wednesday and Thursday.
Elliott was at home Friday morning when agent Rocky Arceneaux called to tell his client that he could play this weekend.
"As soon as he called me, I threw a sweatshirt on, grabbed my backpack and was on my way here," Elliott said.
The running back held a brief meeting with head coach Jason Garrett after he arrived at The Star. He then took part in the Cowboys' offensive meeting, walk-through and practice.
Garrett didn't alter Friday's practice schedule with Elliott's return. He doesn't plan to change anything with Saturday's walk-through. The coaching staff is confident in the back's ability to digest the game plan and will bring him up to speed with a few extra meetings between now and kickoff.
"We'll make sure he's ready to go," Garrett said.
Elliott said he stayed active when he was away from the team, running to make sure he retained his conditioning.
"It's honestly been good to get a couple of days to take a load off, especially after that game where I got a heavy load last Sunday," Elliott said, referring to his 33-carry, 150-yard day in the win over Washington. "I think it might even help me more to have those couple of days off because I'm fresh. I feel fresh."
Elliott has hit his stride in recent weeks after a slow start. The back has rushed for more than 100 yards in three consecutive games and is averaging 124.5 yards on the ground over the last four games.
Elliott has spoken often about the support his teammates have given him during this contentious legal battle. He got the impression his return Friday gave his teammates "a burst of adrenaline."
He wasn't wrong. Players joked with Elliott while others sang his praises to the media.
"Anytime he's on the field, the way he practices and then in the locker room with the type of personality he has, he's infectious," linebacker Sean Lee said. "So having him back is huge."
Elliott has dealt with a lot of emotional ups and downs since the NFL began its investigation in July 2016. The last few days have been no different.
"Really, at this point, it's hard for me to get down or up about this whole situation because tomorrow it could be something different," Elliott said. "So I mean it's really not, like I said, worth my time to even worry about.
"I've just got to trust my [legal] team and trust that they're going to do everything they can do to the best of their ability to make sure I'm able to play ball.
"I'm excited."
How long that excitement lasts, no one can predict.
Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN
{"type":"video","title":"Dallas News Video","author_name":"Dallas News","_id":"UwYWc5ZDE6zNNGKjxMn64yQzUWhXe7uD","provider_name":"Ooyala","html":"
","raw":"{\"type\":\"video\",\"title\":\"Dallas News Video\",\"author_name\":\"Dallas News\",\"_id\":\"UwYWc5ZDE6zNNGKjxMn64yQzUWhXe7uD\",\"provider_name\":\"Ooyala\",\"html\":\"\\u003Cdiv class=\\\"oo-vid-container\\\" data-oo-content-id=\\\"UwYWc5ZDE6zNNGKjxMn64yQzUWhXe7uD\\\"\\u003E\\u003C\\/div\\u003E\\u003Cscript defer src=\\\"https:\\/\\/www.dallasnews.com\\/resources\\/motif\\/dist\\/js\\/ooyala.js\\\"\\u003E\\u003C\\/script\\u003E\"}","providerType":"ooyala","providerLink":"https://www.dallasnews.com/oembed","embedType":"video"}