Ezekiel Elliott suspension: NFL won't 'rule out ruling him out' for Monday

The NFL won't rule out holding Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott out of Monday's game against the Cardinals if the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rules before then on whether Elliotts's six-game suspension should or shouldn't stand.

NFL VP of Communications Joe Lockhart says the situation remains at the discretion of commissioner Roger Goodell if there is a ruling over the weekend.

"I can't rule out ruling (Elliott) out," Lockhart said Friday morning (via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

In an effort to give the Cowboys and their opponents the opportunity to game plan for either of two eventualities — Elliott playing or not playing — the NFL asked in its filing with the appeals court in New Orleans that it rule by Sept. 19 or Sept. 26.

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Now that the first date has passed, presumably affecting Monday's game, the court appears to be on the clock for the Cowboys' Week 4 matchup against the Rams.

Still, it appears the league would have a decision to make if there's a last-minute ruling before Monday.