SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Ohio State's star running back hopped on a seat at the Camelback Inn Resort Tuesday morning knowing what questions were coming, and he tried to keep things light when asked about his Sunday car accident.
"What are we talking about?" Ezekiel Elliott said, before offering a huge smile and wink to reporters.
Elliott said he was in a rush back to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center Sunday afternoon to make his team's flight to Arizona, five days before the No. 7 Buckeyes take on No. 8 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. He lost control, got in an accident, and police issued three citations as a result of the incident and prior violations.
"First and foremost, I wasn't aware that my license was suspended," said Elliott, who added he was alone in the car. "I'm doing everything I can now—or, my dad is doing everything he can now—to get that handled and get my license back in good standing. I'm honestly just glad that no one was majorly injured."
Columbus weather has been rainy and cold recently, which Elliott said caused him to surrender control of his vehicle as he rushed to make the team plane.
"I was driving back to the Woody to load my bags onto the bus and get to the airport. The weather was just terrible, I hydroplaned and lost control of my car," Elliott said. "It was a bad situation."
The junior said he did not have his driver's license on him because he had lost his wallet recently, but was driving with his passport so he had photo identification on him.
Elliott will start New Year's Day for Ohio State's bout with the Fighting Irish, as the school said Monday his status remains unchanged. He said he never thought the accident would prevent him from suiting up in the Fiesta Bowl.
In official practice mode with media responsibilities piled on top, the Big Ten Offensive Player and Running Back of the Year said his focus lies solely on his final collegiate football game.
"It was a scary situation," Elliott said. "I'm just really trying to put it behind me and focus on this game."
