Ezekiel Elliott concedes his lack of effort on two plays in the loss to Denver was born of frustration, calls it uncharacteristic of him and quickly adds there's no excuse for it.
The Cowboys running back took full responsibility for his lackadaisical response during two interceptions in the 25-point loss to the Broncos. He stood in front of his locker at The Star on Thursday for five minutes and wasn't defensive or evasive as he answered questions about what took place.
Elliott acknowledged he has heard the criticism levied by Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson and others that he quit on those plays.
"I definitely heard it," said Elliott, who carried nine times for a career-low eight yards in the loss. "I guess you could say it looked like that.
"I would say I was just very frustrated, but that's no excuse for the lack of effort I showed on tape. I just can't do that. Being one of the leaders on the team and being a guy that people count on, I can't put that type of stuff on film."
Asked if he's spoken to head coach Jason Garrett about what took place, Elliott responded that, "we addressed it in house."
What did he see when he looked at tape of those plays?
"Just bad effort," he said. "It's definitely not me. It's definitely not the type of player I am. It's definitely not who I am for this team.
"I just can't do that. I was frustrated, and I wasn't myself."
Teammates have been supportive of Elliott privately and publicly.
"We're a close team," he said. "We believe in each other. We know what we are all capable of doing. Through ups and downs, we're together.
"I made a mistake on last Sunday, and we're a team. We're together.
"That's all I'm going to say about it."
