Jerome Bettis' advice to Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: 'Keep your head down'

As offseason drama continues to swirl around Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is currently under investigation by the NFL for his alleged involvement in multiple domestic violence incidents, one Hall of Fame running back hinted that part of the issue may be in Elliott’s environment in Dallas.

“Here's part of the problem,” Jerome Bettis said Thursday on The Rich Eisen Show. “That team, in terms of the core players, they're young guys. So you don't really have any of those guys able to pull him back and say, 'Listen, you can't do this. You can't do that. Listen to me when I say these kind of things.’ You don't have that kind of guy in the locker room yet to do that.

"So they're kind of flying blind so to speak, because you don't have — the quarterback is the same age, and you don't have that guy to pull him back and say, ‘Hey, shut it down.’ ”

That quarterback is Dak Prescott, 23, and the Cowboys drafted him and Elliott, 21, in the same class last offseason.

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On Wednesday, the Dallas Police Department suspended an investigation surrounding an altercation at a local nightclub — Elliott was present that night — because of a lack of cooperation from the victim and witnesses.

But Elliott has also received a speeding citation for going 100 miles per hour on a tollway with a speed limit of 70 (he is appealing). He was also captured on video during a St. Patrick’s Day parade in March pulling a woman’s shirt down to expose her breast.

However the biggest concern stems from Elliott’s alleged involvement in domestic violence incidents in February and July of 2016 against the same woman. He was not arrested nor charged for any matter, though NFL discipline could result in a suspension.

“I would just tell him to keep your head down, buddy,” Bettis said when asked what advice he’d give Elliott. “You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy yourself in a year.

"You need to keep your head down, stay in the house, and don’t get into any more trouble.”

Elliott led the NFL in rushing yards (1,631) and attempts (322) last season, and also scored 16 total touchdowns.

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Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes

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