DALLAS -- A 30-year-old man was assaulted Sunday night in an incident that involved Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, according to multiple reports Monday, but police did not name a suspect in the case.
No one was arrested and no suspects were listed in a preliminary report, Dallas police said in a Monday news release.
"According to the report, the victim did not know who assaulted him," Officer Melinda Gutierrez said in the news release. "The victim was transported to an area hospital for non-life threatening injuries."
The victim, Nkemakola Ibeneme, 30, of Dallas, told police he was punched in the nose, according to the report.
Officers were dispatched to a disturbance call at 9:40 p.m. Sunday in the 2500 block of Cedar Springs Road.
An investigation into the incident continued, police said.
Mike Fisher reported for 105.3 FM The Fan in Dallas that Elliott was involved in a physical altercation with a bouncer at Clutch Bar on Cedar Springs Road on Sunday night. Adam Shefter of ESPN also confirmed the report.
The NFL is also investigating, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
"We are aware of the matter and looking into it to understand the facts," McCarthy said in an e-mail.
Elliott, drafted fourth overall from Ohio State in 2016 is under NFL investigation stemming from a 2016 domestic violence accusation. The running back has been preparing a response to the league to be submitted in the next week, sources told Schefter. The Cowboys have stood by Elliott, who rushed for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
Elliott's former girlfriend filed a police report that alleged domestic violence by Elliott on five occasions from July 17, 2016, to July 22, 2016. The Columbus, Ohio, city prosecutor declined to approve criminal charges because there wasn't enough substance to pursue charges.
Before a preseason Cowboys game in Seattle, Elliott visited a recreational marijuana shop in Seattle, where possession of small amounts is legal. He made no purchase at Herban Legend, but his presence in the shop concerned Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, given that the NFL considers the substance banned under terms of the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association.
"Well, I think that, in and of itself, the reason we are talking about it is in a way part of the learning process," Jones said in August 2016. "But it's not good. It's just not good. It's just not good."
Elliott also made headlines in March when he exposed a woman's breast during a St. Patrick's Day parade in Dallas.
Under the NFL's personal-conduct policy, which was revised when the NFL's handling of domestic cases was condemned in the fall of 2014, a player can be suspended without being arrested or charged. Despite the new policy, the NFL has struggled to find its balance on the matter and came under fire last year for its handling of the case involving New York Giants kicker Josh Brown. Since then, the league has promised to investigate such allegations thoroughly and that seems to be what is happening in the case of Elliott, who had hoped for closure in the matter as long ago as January.
Elliott seemed to understand that his success on the field led to greater scrutiny off it. "Just trying to learn to stay out of the way," Elliott he told reporters during a June minicamp. "Whatever you do is going to be seen ...
"You learn from your mistakes," he said, "and if you don't, it can be brutal. So it's just part of life."
Cowboys training camp opens July 24.
Sports on 07/18/2017