Cowboys Update

Maybe the only thing that can save the Dallas Cowboys is training camp. That’s when players have a curfew.

Left on their own, the Cowboys behave more like desperadoes.

The club’s rookies are due to report to training camp in Oxnard, California, on Wednesday. Veterans are due in Saturday, the Good Lord and law enforcement willing. Welcome to Dallas CSI.

The NFL and the Cowboys are looking into a bar incident from Sunday night that may have involved star running back Ezekiel Elliott. A bar patron was punched in the face and taken to a hospital and Elliott ccould be involved, though no charges have been filed. This comes as he is preparing a response to the NFL about year-old allegations of domestic violence that could carry a suspension and while he appeals a speeding ticket (100 mph in a 70 mph zone) from April.

He should have learned from newly-acquired cornerback Nolan Carroll, popped for a DUI this spring leaving his own “welcome to Dallas” party. Hey, maybe he did.

Or the perpetually-suspended defensive end Randy Gregory (repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy). Or standout pass-rusher David Irving, suspended for the first four games of the season (violating NFL rules about performance-enhancing drugs).

Elliott led the NFL in rushing as a rookie but apparently only shows good judgment on the field. Rest assured he received a strong talking-to from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

“Like all of us, we do good some days and don’t do good the others,” Jones said on Tuesday. “That’s not to be confused with tolerating bad behavior or illegal behavior. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about just learning that your every move will be scrutinized and how in this day and time it will be looked at from many vantage points.”

Scrutinized? Yes. And immortalized not quite positively in court records and in the minds of fans. We may ask too much of our sports stars as role models, but is abiding by the laws of the land and your employer so high a bar?
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman