Ezekiel Elliott told NFL investigators he was NEVER in a serious, exclusive relationship with the woman accusing him of domestic violence ... she was just one of many chicks he was nailing.
Problem is ... the NFL says his text messages tell a completely different story.
It's all spelled out in the NFL's 199 page investigative report on Zeke, dated June 6, 2017.
In the section titled, "Background of the Relationship" -- the NFL says Tiffany Thompson described their relationship as "boyfriend/girlfriend."
But Elliott told investigators, "She was just one of the many girls he was having sex with."
Zeke explained, "they 'liked each other,' 'cared about each other,' but were never in a 'relationship,' she was never his 'girlfriend.'"
The NFL says that's a lie ... things were so serious between the two, Elliott told Tiffany in text messages he loved her and wanted to marry her.
"In numerous text messages recovered, Mr. Elliott told Ms. Thompson he loved her and that he had had sex with other girls but she was the one he loved."
"In others, he talked about how he didn’t know why he fell in love with her, how he missed her after one day apart."
"In others, he referred to her as his 'girlfriend,' told her that he didn’t think he would ever find anyone better to have a 'relationship' with, and at one point after she had said they should break up because they were fighting so much, he said, 'Maybe we should take a break. I’m not ready to commit & don’t want to put you through this anymore.' 'I hope one day when you come back to me I’ll be your husband.”
There was also a discrepancy about when the two lived together -- Thompson said she moved in with Zeke in Fall 2015 and stayed with him until Jan 2016.
Both Zeke and his father told police she NEVER lived with him -- but Thompson was able to produce written documentation and a car insurance bill that proved she lived at his address.
The league says the inconsistency may have to do with everyone's definition of what "living together" means .
Bottom line -- the NFL says it was able to determine that Zeke and Thompson WERE in an intimate relationship at the time of the alleged violence incident in July 2016 -- which would qualify the matter as "domestic violence."