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Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott accused of assaulting ex-girlfriend

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott has denied the domestic violence accusation made against him by his former girlfriend in Columbus, Ohio.

A woman who claims to be Elliott’s former live-in girlfriend filed a report with the Columbus police department on Friday, accusing the former Ohio State star of assaulting her while sitting in the driver’s seat of her parked car. She told police that she had pain in her right wrist and a red mark but declined medical treatment, according to the report.

Elliott, who turned 21 on Friday, denied the accusations as well as the accuser’s claim that they lived together. Elliott has not been arrested or charged with a crime.

Tiffany Thompson, who Deadspin reported has been known to be Elliott’s girlfriend, posted two sets of photos of her bruised body on her Instagram account on Friday. One of her posts was tagged to Elliott. Thompson has since made her account private and deleted the photos.

Four witnesses, including one who was sitting in the car at the time of the alleged incident, said they did not observe an assault, according to the police report obtained by ESPN.

Thompson also accused Elliott of striking her “several times” and “leaving bruises on her arms” over a five-day period from Saturday to Wednesday, according to a second police report obtained by ESPN. Elliott told police that he never touched Thompson in “a harmful manner,” saying she suffered the bruises during a bar fight.

The Cowboys are aware of the police reports but have not commented. The NFL will investigate the allegations, the league office told Pro Football Talk.

According to ESPN, Columbus police have referred Thompson to the prosecutor’s office, citing “conflicting statements” between Elliott, the woman and witnesses along with “the inability at the time of the report to prove recent co-habitation.”

Elliott, the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, signed a $24.9 million rookie contract that included $16.3 million in guaranteed money.

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