The reasons behind Ezekiel Elliott's shocking stint on the Cowboys bench have been revealed

It's been revealed why the Cowboys decided to keep running back Ezekiel Elliott home from their road trip to Atlanta.

Multiple media outlets reported Saturday that Elliott would be a healthy scratch for unspecified “disciplinary reasons.”

NFL Media reporter Jane Slater reported Sunday that benching was a work assignment as Elliott was said to have been “distracted” this season.

“Aside from his habitual tardiness, he has missed three team meetings, with Friday's meeting being the last straw. “Both parties decided it would be best if he did not make the trip to Atlanta,” Slater wrote on X.

Elliott, 29, spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Cowboys and returned to Dallas this year after playing in New England last season.

It wasn't a productive reunion, as Elliott had 48 rushes for 149 yards – 3.1 yards per carry – and two touchdowns in seven games that year.

The Cowboys are expected to start Rico Dowdle and Dalvin Cook at running back in Atlanta.

Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones came under scrutiny for not taking action on star running back Derrick Henry in free agency last offseason.

After signing with the Ravens in March, Henry revealed in a radio interview that the Cowboys “never called at all.”

In eight games this year, Henry has 145 rushes for 946 yards – a whopping 6.5 yards per carry – and nine touchdowns.

During a heated interview on local radio in Dallas in October, Jones still wasn't convinced Henry would have been a difference-maker for the Cowboys this year.

“In my opinion we are not playing very good football at the moment and it is questionable whether we have Derrick Henry or not. He's having a career year. I don’t know if he would have a career year in our situation,” Jones said. “He’s a really good addition to the type of offense they run. We don’t carry out such attacks at all.”