Father of Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott charged after exotic cat attacks neighbors’ dog in Ohio

The father of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is facing multiple charges in Ohio after a wild African cat was found roaming the streets of suburban Columbus.

Stacy Elliott, also known by the name Stacy El-Muhammad, was charged in connection with an Oct. 13 incident in Canal Winchester, about 15 miles southeast of Ohio’s capital city, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

In that incident, El-neighbors of El-Muhammad reported that their family dog was being attacked by an exotic cat. An arriving deputy shot and killed the animal, the newspaper said.

The state’s Department of Natural Resources identified the animal as a serval, a wild, carnivorous species with big ears and a black-tipped tail found mostly in sub-Saharan nations.

A few days later, according to the Dispatch, investigators confronted El-Muhammad, who told them he was overseeing the serval but wasn’t the owner. However, a microchip embedded in the serval indicated that it had been sold to El-Muhammad, who did not possess the necessary permission to have such an animal.

El-Muhammad faces nine charges, among them falsification, obstruction of official business, possession of a dangerous wild animal, allowing a dangerous wild animal to escape and failure to report such an escape.

He also faces a dozen other charges from other involved agencies.

El-Muhammad served as an aide to former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer from 2015-2017 and is CEO of sports management agency Fifth Down Enterprises.