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Ezekiel Elliott calls visit to marijuana shop "learning experience"

By The Sports Xchange
Football player Ezekiel Elliott attends the 16th annual BET Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on June 26, 2016. Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI
Football player Ezekiel Elliott attends the 16th annual BET Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on June 26, 2016. Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI | License Photo

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott calls his visit a legal marijuana shop in Seattle last week a learning experience.

TMZ posted a video of Elliott at a marijuana dispensary just hours before he made his preseason debut against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.

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"You definitely have to think of the perception of things before you actually do certain things," Elliott said Monday. "It may not seem like it's a big deal to you yourself, but there's a bigger picture.

"It's definitely a learning experience about the scrutiny. You just have to be careful and not give anybody a chance to say anything."

The 21-year-old Elliott made his preseason debut against the Seahawks, carrying the ball seven times for 48 yards in the first quarter.

Elliott said he was sightseeing when he noticed the marijuana dispensary.

"I've seen it walking around and I was curious," Elliott said. "I didn't really think about what the repercussions could have been. It wasn't like I was trying to hide anything. I took pictures with people. It wasn't like I was up to no good. I was curious. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. I wasn't breaking any laws. It was a bad decision, something I shouldn't have done."

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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett had criticized Elliott for visiting the store.

"Well, I think that in and of itself the reason we are talking about it is in a way part of the learning process," Jones said after the Cowboys' 27-17 loss to the Seahawks. "But it's not good. It's just not good. It's just not good. Again, that's a part of just really getting the big picture here. No matter if you played at whatever level, there is a picture here of interest. So again, I'm aware of it. I heard the report. I would know how he is, and he needs to look at that. And the other thing is it's just not good."

Garrett said Saturday, "I don't think it was a good decision. He and I talked about that. It was just a poor decision on his part and young players sometimes just have to understand that perception can be reality. You have to understand you're under a microscope 24 hours a day, and there's no good reason for him to go into a place like that."

Elliott, who was the fourth overall pick of the 2016 draft, is under investigation by the Columbus, Ohio, city attorney's office for an alleged domestic violence incident involving a former girlfriend. Elliott has denied the accusations as well as the accuser's claim that they lived together. He has not been arrested or charged with a crime, and has yet to be interviewed.

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Elliott rushed for more than 1,800 yards in each of his last two seasons at Ohio State, earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2015.

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