Ezekiel Elliott Officially Submits Appeal for 6-Game Suspension from NFL

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott submitted his appeal for his six-game suspension on Tuesday.

The NFLPA released the following statement on Elliott's behalf:

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported a hearing will be scheduled for Aug. 29.

Elliott was suspended for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy for his alleged role in a domestic violence case from July 2016. Schefter broke the initial news Friday, and the NFL released a statement on the penalty, which Mike Garafolo of NFL.com passed along:

The league also sent a letter to Elliott after the suspension, explaining the reasoning behind his six-game punishment. The letter said the NFL's 2016 leading rusher used physical force "on multiple occasions" against the alleged victim, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, and Garafolo noted the letter cited photographic evidence.

Elliott released a statement on his Twitter page where he said he was "both surprised and disappointed by the NFL's decision" and "strongly" disagreed with the ruling.

If Elliott's suspension remains after the appeal, he will miss contests against the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. He will be eligible to return for Dallas' Oct. 29 game against NFC East rival Washington.

The Cowboys will likely rely on a combination of Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris and Ronnie Hillman as they look to replicate the 1,631 rushing yards Elliott accumulated in his rookie season in 2016.

They also have a strong offensive line—which Football Outsiders ranked as the fourth-best run-blocking unit in the league last year—to lead the way.