Cowboys' Elliott gets fined $26K for helmet hit

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, the first offensive player penalized this season for the helmet rule, was fined $26,739 on Friday for lowering his head to initiate contact Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The action occurred against defensive back Corey Graham in a game the Cowboys won 29-23. Elliott is appealing the fine, which is the second he has received in four weeks. He was fined $13,369 for unsportsmanlike conduct after donating $21 into the Salvation Army kettle following a Thanksgiving Day touchdown against Washington on Nov. 22. Delivering the hit against the Eagles, Elliott also struggled to recover. He went to the blue medical tent and missed five plays, saying he briefly lost feeling in his arm. "I mean when you're on that sideline, I've got to protect myself," Elliott said. "And if a guy's going low, I've got to go low, too. The rule is meant for the betterment of the game. The rule is for our safety, and if there was illegal helmet-to-helmet contact on there, that's something I need to go look at and work on. That's not OK. It's just a tough play." Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, while not defending his player 100 percent, did understand Elliott's rationale. "We're just making some calls here that are tough, but we're doing it for protection and safety," Jones said. "That's the biggest question being asked: How do you play? ... I don't want Zeke to stop punishing them on the end of his runs. Upon further review, they both tucked their heads. Zeke is a punishing runner. That's what we want in the NFL. That is a physical aspect of football that we want to give our fans. I'll certainly do everything I can to not make those kinds of things penalties." According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, officials threw 10 flags for use of helmet -- all against defensive players -- through the first 13 weeks of the season. --Field Level Media