Bell

[Disco1981]

Check out @colin_dunlap’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/colin_dunlap/status/1108365984988053504?s=09

[Disco1981]

Man...Is everyone piling on...What a bunch of " Meanies "the Steelers are...

I don't think I'm liking this new breed of athlete

[Moonie]

You can't expect much from a guy who signs on with the Jets for 4 years.

[SteelBucks]

Check out @colin_dunlap’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/colin_dunlap/status/1108365984988053504?s=09

Ryan Shazier would disagree.

[Disco1981]

Check out @Steelersdepot’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/Steelersdepot/status/1108378986244009984?s=09

[Disco1981]

Check out @ThePoniExpress’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/ThePoniExpress/status/1108380477730238464?s=09

[Disco1981]

Here's a couple more...Wow, Ben is taking a real beating this offseason...EVERYTHING wrong with the Steelers, the last ten years...BEN...

Must be nice to continually **** up,blame somebody else " unsubstantiated " And have all the media take your side...

If this was my character continually being questioned...I don't quick I could hold my tongue any longer...I'd be flippin...

I give Ben even more credit for this...I couldn't do it...

[Oh wow]

Typical quote from a tagged player.

[Oh wow]

Here's a couple more...Wow, Ben is taking a real beating this offseason...EVERYTHING wrong with the Steelers, the last ten years...BEN...

Must be nice to continually **** up,blame somebody else " unsubstantiated " And have all the media take your side...

If this was my character continually being questioned...I don't quick I could hold my tongue any longer...I'd be flippin...

I give Ben even more credit for this...I couldn't do it...

I could take a ton of criticism and hold my tongue if I made $20+ mill a year and knew my position was locked in until I decided to retire.

Funny thing is Ben has a freaking radio show where he gets to let loose on teammates.

[AzStillers1989]

So glad I’ve deleted all my social media accounts last year. I just don’t care about this bullsh1t anymore.

[rpmpit]

I don't listen to Ben's show. Not for any particular reason... just don't. Is he really that critical of his teammates?

What I do pay attention to is the post game press conferences. I don't think I've watched one after a loss where Ben DOESN'T blame himself first. Hearing all these media jerks crushing Ben for not taking any responsibility is getting old.

[SteelBucks]

The cancers are removed. Let’s move on.

[Oh wow]

I don't listen to Ben's show. Not for any particular reason... just don't. Is he really that critical of his teammates?

What I do pay attention to is the post game press conferences. I don't think I've watched one after a loss where Ben DOESN'T blame himself first. Hearing all these media jerks crushing Ben for not taking any responsibility is getting old.

I don’t listen to it but my opinion is nothing good can come from that show. It’s too easy for words to get twisted or a critique of a play turns into criticism of a player.

As far as taking responsibility for losses in pressers. That doesn’t really impress me, all QB’s are employed to take the blame regardless of how the game played out.

When the dust settles and they have a chance to go back, watch tape.... when they watch the talking heads bash them for bad plays... then they have a day or 2 to sleep on it and respond once they get comfortable and relaxed, that’s when problems can occur.

It’s like social media in a sense. How many times did we hear AB talk that good team talk right after a game? It’s “I to get better, we have to work harder, blah, blah, blah”

Then he gets comfortable at home and says how he really feels on Twitter.

[Steel Maniac]

Bell is full of it. Nothing he says has any validity. He accuses Ben of only wanting to win the way Ben wants to win.

Yet, Bell is the first one to say that he was afraid of getting too many touches last year if he’d have signed the franchise tag. For him to get those touches, that means Ben is putting the ball in his hands on tons of dump off passes. So which is it?

It was revealed that Bell and AB were talking all this time so there’s little doubt they’ve come up with this crap. Glad Both those clowns are gone.

[Disco1981]

Bell is full of it. Nothing he says has any validity. He accuses Ben of only wanting to win the way Ben wants to win.

Yet, Bell is the first one to say that he was afraid of getting too many touches last year if he’d have signed the franchise tag. For him to get those touches, that means Ben is putting the ball in his hands on tons of dump off passes. So which is it?

It was revealed that Bell and AB were talking all this time so there’s little doubt they’ve come up with this crap. Glad Both those clowns are gone.

The funniest part " Ben was only worried about getting his "...lmfao...They ran Bell into the ground ( AND thru the air ) ...

AB was the most targeted WR in the league and had over 100 receptions EVERY year!

Ben would make me mad because he would go to AB to much, force it!...

These guys are just getting ridiculous with their pettiness!

[Steel Maniac]

The funniest part " Ben was only worried about getting his "...lmfao...They ran Bell into the ground ( AND thru the air ) ...

AB was the most targeted WR in the league and had over 100 receptions EVERY year!

Ben would make me mad because he would go to AB to much, force it!...

These guys are just getting ridiculous with their pettiness!

Ben was accommodating to both and they still moan and complain.

" Ben wanted to win his way"...his way by giving you and AB all the touches??? Both of those two cornballs are on drugs. F them. We move on.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Ben was accommodating to both and they still moan and complain.

" Ben wanted to win his way"...his way by giving you and AB all the touches??? Both of those two cornballs are on drugs. F them. We move on.

If you don't like that story don't worry. Give them a couple of days and the story will change.

[pittpete]

So glad I’ve deleted all my social media accounts last year. I just don’t care about this bullsh1t anymore.

I only have FB and i'm very tempted to delete it but i belong to too many animal rescue groups....:-(

[RuthlessBurgher]

My wife has Facebook, my kids have Twitter and Instagram, and the extent of my "social media footprint" is pretty much just posting on this forum. They signed me up for Facebook and Twitter accounts, but I literally never go on there.

[pittpete]

Smart move bro

[brothervad]

I think this is a pretty fair assessment...frankly he does call out Ben's not critiquing his play in the Denver game. In the end, I think Ben is the best looking one out of this because he is keeping his mouth shut. Nothing good can come from him responding to any of this crap. My hope is he is redoubling his efforts and works with his current group of WR's to show these blabber mouth media whores that they are nothing more than a mouthpiece for sensational BS. And btw, I am not a Ben fanboy/apologist.

Tell me, if he comes back next season and wins a super bowl with the purging of the toxic twins...who will come out of this looking the best in the end?

Joe Starkey: One guy started all the Ben Roethlisberger bashing, and you know who it is

Joe Starkey
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
jstarkey@post-gazette.com
Mar 20, 2019
7:17 AM
Ramon Foster had an interesting tweet the other day, in response to a reporter’s light-hearted post suggesting Ben Roethlisberger make a list of all the people who’ve ripped him this offseason (ripping Roethlisberger, in case you haven’t noticed, has become a national pastime).
Foster’s subtweet: “We all making a list. Never forget.”
If that means Foster and his teammates are taking inventory of the unjust condemnations of their quarterback, good on them. But if their list is going to have integrity, it better start with one name high above the rest.
One man caused all of this, and I shouldn’t have to tell Foster or anyone else who it is.
I believe he goes by “Big Chest.”
If the national football media, particularly ex-players, have been contaminated, it was Mr. Big Chest who poisoned their drinks.
So for all those wondering why Roethlisberger is getting mercilessly shredded — and I’ve been asked that question a lot lately — the answer goes like this: because Antonio Brown wanted out of Pittsburgh in order to secure a guaranteed contract and apparently figured (or was advised) that assailing Roethlisberger would help grease the skids.

There would have been no smear campaign if Brown could have persuaded the Steelers to give him a new deal. He couldn’t have, so he told the world Roethlisberger ruled with an “owner mentality.” (https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/02/16/Antonio-Brown-takes-aim-at-Ben-Roethlisberger-and-Mike-Tomlin-in-Twitter-Q-A-Steelers/stories/201902160053) He retweeted derogatory tweets about Roethlisberger. And I’d be willing to bet it was Big Chest and his agent who fed ex-players-turned-media their B.S. talking points.
Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe and others told the world that Roethlisberger, not the receiver who skipped work and threw tantrums and quit on his teammates, was the real problem in the room.
For sure, Brown got a hold of former Green Bay Packers receiver and current ESPN contributor Greg Jennings and convinced him of that. Jennings, in a matter of weeks, went from praising Roethlisberger as the ultimate competitor to denigrating him as a guy who undermines his own team. A lunch date with Big Chest had clearly swayed him.
“Ben’s the bad guy” has become the national narrative, all right, one furthered by ex-Steeler Josh Harris’ claim that Roethlisberger intentionally fumbled late in a 2014 game against Cincinnati in order to make offensive coordinator Todd Haley look bad.
Harris was a Steelers running back at the time, and one thing he said is indisputably true: Roethlisberger and Haley loathed each other.
But for Roethlisberger to possibly give the Bengals life late in an important game by intentionally fumbling? Man, I’d have to see proof, which Harris admits he is unable to provide, or other players corroborate.
All of which is not to say Roethlisberger is beyond reproach or an ideal leader. Some great athletes are not natural leaders. Aaron Rodgers falls into that category. Kobe Bryant did. Roethlisberger does.
Not everyone is Tom Brady or Drew Brees. Not everyone is universally beloved. I’ve never heard an ex-teammate knock Brady. I’ve seen Emmanuel Sanders, Hines Ward and others knock Roethlisberger, whose leadership style can rub people the wrong way. Now you can add Le'Veon Bell to that list. He claims in a Sports Illustrated story published Wednesday (https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/03/20/leveon-bell-steelers-jets-free-agency-contract) that Roethlisberger considered himself all-powerful and played favorites in distributing the ball.
Fact is, Roethlisberger smartly aligns himself with his linemen and doesn’t get close to many others (tight end Vance McDonald among the exceptions). He’s the old guy now. The locker-room music doesn’t blare until he goes home. He’s nearly twice the age of incoming rookies.
Roethlisberger also isn’t afraid to use the media, including his radio show — which I co-hosted last season — to deliver messages. He has earned that right. If players such as Mr. Thin Skin can’t take it, too bad. Nobody complained when Roethlisberger called out Martavis Bryant before the 2015 playoffs — especially after Bryant responded with an excellent postseason.
There was, however, one instance last season where Roethlisberger should have included himself in critiquing individual performances. That was after the Denver game, when he threw a killer interception in the end zone. The surprise was that he didn’t point the finger at himself, because he usually does.
There are legitimate criticisms of Roethlisberger. What has gone down this offseason is far, far beyond that.
“Not one former player has anything positive [to say[ about Ben Roethlisberger’s leadership — be it offense or defense,” Sharpe said on FS1.
That’s a flat-out lie. Alan Faneca and Bruce Gradkowski are among those who’ve praised Roethlisberger’s leadership. Former running back Isaac Redman tweeted this after he felt his words were twisted in an SI.com story: “I can’t believe an article would come out saying i had anything negative to say about Ben Bc i do not. He was always a great teammate and leader my time in Pittsburgh!!”
Roethlisberger isn’t perfect, by any means, but he doesn’t deserve this kind of condemnation. It’s shameful, really, especially when you consider the man and the motive behind it.
Never forget that.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Maurkice Pouncey sticks up for Big Ben as a leader

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 20, 2019, 2:43 PM EDT

In the division among Steelers and former Steelers about what kind of leader Ben Roethlisberger is, put center Maurkice Pouncey in the pro-Ben camp.

Pouncey, who has snapped to Roethlisberger for nine seasons, took to Instagram today to stick up for his quarterback.

“I’ve been with Ben going on 10 years I swear on my kids he is a true LEADER!” Pouncey wrote. “Sucks to see players who leave and are mad at the organization now try and point fingers like they are perfect! But this is the world we live in now!”

Pouncey didn’t call out any of those “players who leave” by name, but he was presumably referring to Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell, as well as former Steelers running back Josh Harris, who created a stir by accusing Roethlisberger of once fumbling on purpose in a game.

What’s clear is that Roethlisberger has been a polarizing figure in Pittsburgh, with some teammates loving him and some not thinking much of him. The Steelers seem to be getting rid of the players who don’t like their franchise quarterback.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/03/20/maurkice-pouncey-sticks-up-for-big-ben-as-a-leader/

[hawaiiansteel]

Le’Veon Bell on Steelers: “They don’t treat you like you’re human”

Posted by Mike Florio on March 20, 2019

Running back Le'Veon Bell won his freedom from the Steelers by taking a stand and sitting out a full season. Now that he’s a member of the Jets, Bell reflected on the mindset of the team that made him a second-round pick in the 2013 draft.

“Pittsburgh is a great organization,” Bell told Jenny Vrentas of SI.com. “They’ve got a great owner, head coach. They kind of treat you like — they don’t treat you like you’re human. What I mean by that is like, yeah, I’m an NFL athlete, but still I’m a human being. You know what I’m saying? I still play video games, I still make music. They don’t want to allow you to be yourself. They want you to be, if you’re a Steelers, you’re literally playing football 24/7. You’re not supposed to be playing video games and like making music, playing basketball. You’re not supposed to be doing that. You’re supposed to be working out.”

You’re also supposed to be doing what the Steelers want as it relates to the structure of contracts. Which is what created the problem in the first place. If the Steelers had simply offered Bell the full amount of the franchise tag for 2017 ($12.1 million) and the full amount of the franchise tag for 2018 ($14.54 million), fully guaranteed, Bell quite possibly would have (and arguably should have) accepted a four- or five-year deal starting with $26.64 million over the first two years.

Instead, Bell made the $12.1 million, sat out a year, and got the $26.64 (plus .36) million fully guaranteed from the Jets. While the process was rocky and some remain determined to declare Bell a loser (presumably so that they can say they were right about their position that he shouldn’t sit out the year), the Steelers flicked the first domino by virtue of their stubborn refusal to deviate from the way they structure contracts, even when the player carries the franchise tag.


https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/03/20/leveon-bell-on-steelers-they-dont-treat-you-like-youre-human/

[rpmpit]

“Pittsburgh is a great organization,” Bell told Jenny Vrentas of SI.com. “They’ve got a great owner, head coach. They kind of treat you like — they don’t treat you like you’re human. What I mean by that is like, yeah, I’m an NFL athlete, but still I’m a human being. You know what I’m saying? I still play video games, I still make music. They don’t want to allow you to be yourself. They want you to be, if you’re a Steelers, you’re literally playing football 24/7. You’re not supposed to be playing video games and like making music, playing basketball. You’re not supposed to be doing that. You’re supposed to be working out.”





*See JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Bell sounds like more of an idiot every time he opens his mouth. Someone should tell him to stop

[pittpete]

https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9slacxNF61qdlfp4o2_r1_500.gif

[Steelerphile]

If anyone watched the interview Bell had the female reporter at SI, he appears to be under the influence of marijuana. You can tell by looking at his eyes. Not saying that it's all bad, but it doesn't help you perform better, that I know. He rambles a lot but there isn't much that he says that he can pinpoint what he didn't like about Pittsburgh. He seems to imply that he didn't get used the way he liked, but he isn't thinking deeply about the situation because he got fed the ball more frequently than any player in the NFL.

I, as a fan, thought it would be better to distribute the ball more to different players. Brown and Bell really did get a lot of targets, much more than most. Bell seems to say Ben did not give him or Brown the ball enough.

He says that Gase and the players on the Jets talked to him like they are on the same level, and he felt very welcomed. That seems very important to him because he implies that Ben, Tomlin and some of the players did not treat him as though he were on their level. His complaints seem so superficial. In the future, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Whether, if the Jets try to give anyone else the ball during the season, he feels slighted. Whether someone starts to treat him differently when/if the Jets have a losing season.

The Steelers should not have tagged him. I think it hurt them last year with the holdout and the drama. Should have just let him get his guaranteed money. He doesn't really have to do anything now to have that $35 mil except show up, I guess. That might be all he's planning on doing. I hope in the future they will not use that tag more than once on a player, if at all. If a player wants to go somewhere else that badly. Let them. There are enough other players to a make a good team regardless.

[NorthCoast]

The cancers are removed. Let’s move on.Bell trying to spread the cancer extracorporeal........ (there's a word for ya).

[NorthCoast]

My wife has Facebook, my kids have Twitter and Instagram, and the extent of my "social media footprint" is pretty much just posting on this forum. They signed me up for Facebook and Twitter accounts, but I literally never go on there.Me too. Signed up an account about 5 yrs ago but haven't been on it since. Too much work to update what I had for breakfast, lunch and dinner, what my favorite hang is, what my poo looks like, etc. etc.

[NorthCoast]

Ben was accommodating to both and they still moan and complain.

" Ben wanted to win his way"...his way by giving you and AB all the touches??? Both of those two cornballs are on drugs. F them. We move on.

^^agree.. same bull we've been hearing from AB. Blame others for all the choices you made. I have not doubt Bell hired an image doctor to try to turn things about in the media.... all of sudden coming up with the excuse 'boo boo, I had to leave cause the QB was mean... the Steelers are a great org, but they don't treat you human'.... what a pile of mixed up reasoning that only Bell (or AB) could come up with.

Glad Roethlisberger is taking the high road here. He has nothing to prove to these malcontents.

[Moonie]

What a pair of delicate, childish twits. It really is starting to look like those two leaving town is for the best, no matter how talented they appear. And yeah, let's see just how well their 2019 seasons go on the idiotic teams they signed up for.

[rpmpit]

https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9slacxNF61qdlfp4o2_r1_500.gif

Seen this a few times. I guess I've been gone too long. But what does the "blank reply" mean??

[fordfixer]

Seen this a few times. I guess I've been gone too long. But what does the "blank reply" mean??
Do you not see the GIF?

[rpmpit]

Do you not see the GIF?

Mystery solved :oops:

So on my work computer I can't see the GIF. Checked on my phone and saw it. Thanks ff.

[fordfixer]

Mystery solved :oops:

So on my work computer I can't see the GIF. Checked on my phone and saw it. Thanks ff.
Your welcome

[hawaiiansteel]

Paul Zeise: Le'Veon Bell struggles with the truth

PAUL ZEISE
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
MAR 21, 2019

Le’Veon Bell refused to sign a long-term deal with the Steelers because he didn’t like the contract they offered him, or so he said at the time it went down. Bell should have just stuck to that original story, because that at least made sense.

When it turned out Bell didn’t get close to the contract he thought he would get, he should have just said “Hey, I took a shot. I didn’t quite get what I wanted, but I am happy to start the next part of my career.”

Bell instead tried to save face and gave an interview to Sports Illustrated in which he would explain his real reasons he left Pittsburgh. The problem is, the more Bell talked, the dumber he sounded and the less credibility he had with anybody with even a basic grip on the facts. The interview contained more fiction than fact and more revised history than reality.

Here is a sample:

“Pittsburgh is a great organization. They’ve got a great owner, head coach. They kind of treat you like — they don’t treat you like you’re human. ... I still play video games, I still make music. They don’t want to allow you to be yourself.”

That’s utter nonsense, and here is how I know it is: The No. 1 complaint and criticism of Mike Tomlin is that he is too much of a players’ coach who gives his players too much leeway and allows them too much freedom to be themselves. That is backed up by many, many players who have said they appreciate the way Tomlin treats them like men.

Now, however, we’re supposed to believe Tomlin is a bully (like Ben Roethlisberger, apparently) who doesn’t let his players play video games and rap. When called out on this by KDKA’s Bob Pompeani on Twitter, Bell shot back that he was talking about “the city,” not the Steelers. And that is comical because that’s not at all what he said.

Bell complained that Tomlin shot down his idea for a play to run in the playoffs in his “rookie year.” One problem: The Steelers were 8-8 in his rookie season and didn’t even make the playoffs.

Bell also believes the Steelers not only didn’t want him to thrive and didn’t give him a chance to thrive — he said “they [weren’t] trying to let me go crazy, like, really let me put my foot on the pedal.”

He then doubled down with “I feel like in Pittsburgh, people felt like everybody gotta get the ball or do this, that or the other. I don’t feel like I had a lot of opportunities like I could have.”

In 2017, the last season Bell played for the Steelers he touched the ball 406 times between rushes and receptions. The player who was second in the NFL in that category was LeSean McCoy, who had 346. Yes, Bell, who claims he didn’t get opportunities, touched the ball 60 times more than any other non-quarterback in the NFL.

He said playing for the Jets was something he wanted to do since he was growing up. Again, that’s a nice story except he tweeted last year that he wouldn’t play for the Jets for even $100 million.

He also jumped on the “Roethlisberger is a meanie” bandwagon and said Roethlisberger wants to win “his way” and that meant shutting out players such as Bell and Brown to prove a point.

All of it really comes off like whining, and quite frankly shows the mind of a man who is interested in everything other than winning football games. For anyone who has paid attention, the biggest takeaway from the interview shouldn’t be that the Steelers are dysfunctional. It should be that Bell is delusional.


https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/paul-zeise/2019/03/21/le-veon-bell-jets-steelers-sports-illustrated-interview/stories/201903210107

[hawaiiansteel]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2NfkmHWkAIW8Vl.jpg

[Ernie]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2NfkmHWkAIW8Vl.jpg

if you took the yellow stripes off.. youve got a custom raiders jersey lol

[Steel Maniac]

They should sell them for 2.99 as car wash cloths. :lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Sugar]

Will Barron end up with #26 like he did with the Rams? If so, you could just replace the nameplate on the back.

[Ernie]

Will Barron end up with #26 like he did with the Rams? If so, you could just replace the nameplate on the back.

there it is! take the ELL off and add ARRON... bingo

[fordfixer]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2NfkmHWkAIW8Vl.jpg
Only 50% off

[Steel Maniac]

Why you think I said 2.99?

[hawaiiansteel]

Only 50% off

they'll be 98% off soon...

[hawaiiansteel]

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3.kdkafm.radio.com/styles/nts_image_cover_tall_775x425/s3/dumb%20and%20dumber.jpg?itok=2UxeyTzo&c=05d0853edd68a3972b2b1577554a3729

[Eich]

they'll be 98% off soon...

That stuff is as worthless as AFC Champion shirts for the team that didn't win the AFC. Might as well pack it up and ship it to a less fortunate country as a charitable donation.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Le’Veon Bell not at Jets voluntary minicamp

Posted by Josh Alper on April 23, 2019, 10:30 AM EDT

Running back Le'Veon Bell never reported to the Steelers after being given the franchise tag last season and sat out the year before signing with the Jets as a free agent last month.

Getting the long-term deal he was looking for while still in Pittsburgh hasn’t led him to perfect attendance at offseason work this time around. The Jets started a three-day minicamp on Tuesday morning and multiple reporters on hand sent word that Bell was not on the field with the rest of the team.

Attendance at the minicamp is voluntary, so there’s no requirement that Bell be with the team right now. There’s also no word about whether he’ll be missing the entire week of work or if Tuesday’s absence is a one-day thing.

Head coach Adam Gase and General Manager Mike Maccagnan are both scheduled to speak to reporters later in the day and they may shed light on that question during their time with the media.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/23/leveon-bell-not-at-jets-voluntary-minicamp/

[SteelBucks]

Le’Veon Bell not at Jets voluntary minicamp

Posted by Josh Alper on April 23, 2019, 10:30 AM EDT

Running back Le'Veon Bell never reported to the Steelers after being given the franchise tag last season and sat out the year before signing with the Jets as a free agent last month.

Getting the long-term deal he was looking for while still in Pittsburgh hasn’t led him to perfect attendance at offseason work this time around. The Jets started a three-day minicamp on Tuesday morning and multiple reporters on hand sent word that Bell was not on the field with the rest of the team.

Attendance at the minicamp is voluntary, so there’s no requirement that Bell be with the team right now. There’s also no word about whether he’ll be missing the entire week of work or if Tuesday’s absence is a one-day thing.

Head coach Adam Gase and General Manager Mike Maccagnan are both scheduled to speak to reporters later in the day and they may shed light on that question during their time with the media.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/23/leveon-bell-not-at-jets-voluntary-minicamp/

I see Bell is making a good impression! Or getting them ready for what’s to come in future seasons.

[Oh wow]

The old voluntary camp that’s supposedly mandatory report.

[Ernie]

he got his guaranteed $$$...

[Northern_Blitz]

Le’Veon Bell not at Jets voluntary minicamp

Posted by Josh Alper on April 23, 2019, 10:30 AM EDT

Running back Le'Veon Bell never reported to the Steelers after being given the franchise tag last season and sat out the year before signing with the Jets as a free agent last month.

Getting the long-term deal he was looking for while still in Pittsburgh hasn’t led him to perfect attendance at offseason work this time around. The Jets started a three-day minicamp on Tuesday morning and multiple reporters on hand sent word that Bell was not on the field with the rest of the team.

Attendance at the minicamp is voluntary, so there’s no requirement that Bell be with the team right now. There’s also no word about whether he’ll be missing the entire week of work or if Tuesday’s absence is a one-day thing.

Head coach Adam Gase and General Manager Mike Maccagnan are both scheduled to speak to reporters later in the day and they may shed light on that question during their time with the media.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/23/leveon-bell-not-at-jets-voluntary-minicamp/

Can the league do random drug tests at voluntary minicamps? /sarcasm

[RuthlessBurgher]

The old voluntary camp that’s supposedly mandatory report.

Marijuana policy for “voluntary” workouts could be a fair trade

Posted by Mike Florio on April 21, 2019, 1:52 PM EDT

The NFL has a ban on marijuana around most players successfully navigate. The NFL also has voluntary offseason workouts in which most players choose to participate. Those two concepts could provide the basis for a fair and sensible tradeoff in the next labor deal.

The swap would be simple: The prohibition on marijuana use ends, and the “voluntary” offseason workouts become fully or mostly mandatory. It’s a win-win that removes from the sport a pair of currently nonsensical policies that are widely ignored.

Players smoke marijuana, and the smart ones know how to legitimately beat the once-per-year testing process. Players also show up for voluntary offseason workouts, in such numbers that the exceptions generate significant attention and, in some cities, scorn.

It’s an easy trade, with a couple of meaningless and irrelevant policies going away for good, giving each side something to give up, even though neither side is really giving up all that much.

As PFT reported earlier this year, the NFL wants to get away from policing marijuana use by players. If the league is looking for something in return — and if the players are willing to give up anything — voluntary workouts that are voluntary in name only make the most sense.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/21/marijuana-policy-for-voluntary-workouts-could-be-a-fair-trade/