The NFL and Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott have been in the midst of an intense legal battle based on a six-game suspension that the NFL imposed in August of this year over allegations of domestic abuse.

Elliott has been suspended and reinstated four times since then. This has shown everybody how bad the NFL’s suspension system really is.

Between this year with Elliott and two years ago with Tom Brady and Deflategate, two top-tier players have been caught up in controversy associated with this suspension system. Both of these players appealed to the NFL, and both times one side was unhappy, so they took the case to court. Tom Brady’s court case lasted more than a full season, in which he was eligible to play, even though he was suspended.

Elliott has now been playing nine weeks while he has been suspended. This shows how the NFL needs to improve its suspension system.

Players should not be able to play while they are in the middle of a legal case with the league. The cases should always be handled in the off-season, and a decision needs to be final by the time the season begins.

Players should not be able to push back appeals, just so they have the ability to play a for a little before their suspension can be enforced. This isn’t fair for anyone in the league.

The NFL should be forced to have a final decision set by the beginning of the upcoming season, and if they can’t do that, the suspension should be dismissed. If a decision can’t be made over the off-season period of six months, there obviously is not enough evidence for a suspension, so the case should be dismissed.

Overall, the NFL can’t deal with suspension controversies during the season, and they need to focus on handling them during the season.