Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott pulled down a woman’s shirt, exposing her bare breast during a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dallas. The incident was caught on video and was reported by TMZ Sports.
Elliott was drinking with a group of people and watching the parade from a rooftop bar when the woman next to him motioned to her breasts and pointed to Elliott. Elliott then pulled the woman’s tank top down, exposing one.
A rep for Elliott described the incident as “in good fun.” That is, frankly, a ridiculous statement. The woman pointing to her breasts does not imply that her expected outcome was Elliott grabbing her shirt and exposing them. Based on the video, it’s unclear that she consented to what Elliott did. There’s nothing about exposing a woman’s breasts in public that is consistent with “good fun” for both parties.
In the video of the incident, the woman scrambled to cover her breast immediately after Elliott pulled down her top. Elliott’s representative told TMZ that the woman was not upset and spent time with Elliott and his friends after the incident occurred. That doesn’t change the fact that what Elliott did is unacceptable and in the absence of a direct response from the woman involved, can’t be taken at face value.
We don’t know what the woman in the video wanted to happen, but we do know that she isn’t the one who exposed her breasts. The woman did not have any control over the timing or the environment, and because Elliott was involved, the video is being widely distributed. That would be unlikely if Elliott hadn’t been the one to expose her breasts.
Elliott is coming off a spectacular rookie season. He’s also still under NFL investigation for domestic violence allegations leveled against him by a former girlfriend. Elliott was not charged with a crime in that matter, but the league has broad latitude to suspend players under the personal conduct policy, so it’s still possible Elliott will face consequences from the NFL.
The NFL had no comment on the St. Patrick’s Day parade video, according to Pro Football Talk.
At best, Elliott acted irresponsibly here. At worst, it was predatory behavior. What it wasn’t was “all in good fun,” regardless of what Elliott’s reps want people to believe about it.
