Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell facing 4-game ban for missed drug test

[RobinCole]

DeAngelo Williams turned 33 in April. I'm pretty sure that he will be the oldest starting RB in the league. Bell has left us in a bad place. Not only do we have to wonder whether he comes back from the second injury, but even if he does, do we want to sign him to a new contract and trust that he'll stay clean. Hard to trust someone who has already shown that he can't be trusted.

[SteelDecipher]

The next failure(s) put him at a year suspension. That is a year, at hypothetically top tier RB money. While Bell wouldn't get paid, his base would still count against the cap.

It is one thing to have an inexpensive WR (who by position is part of a collective) who is a bad decision away from missing a season, but entirely another to have a C2 "all in" RB in that situation.

The closest parallel would be Brown, and to a lesser degree due to his ultimate importance to the team, Ben. Bryant is 1 of 5, and while significant in impact, he is replaceable. Bell is really 1 of 1. DeAngelo may be a nice fill in, but he isn't Bell.

No way can you put all of your eggs in that basket.

The upside is, no one is likely to give him nearly his "on the field" worth in respect to his next contract. So he probably takes a 1 or 2 year "prove it" deal, significantly below market value.


Also, Martavis now has a rehab buddy.

[Slapstick]

A suspended player's salary does not count against the cap.

[SteelDecipher]

A suspended player's salary does not count against the cap.

You are correct. I googled it earlier, and clearly read it wrong.

[steelers75]

Goes to show.how much control tomlin has over the team...

Yeah, if only we still had Cowher (Bam Morris) or Belichick (Aaron Hernandez)...

[Steelwolf]

Yeah, if only we still had Cowher (Bam Morris) or Belichick (Aaron Hernandez)...

We all know how Cowher or belichick would handle both Bell and Bryant....I may not recall the full extent as to why Santonio was traded but weed was a contributing factor. The steelers where ready to pull the trigger on cutting him after the league suspended him.

[Steelwolf]

I don't care how much talent both bring to the table. They really do not care about the team and tomlin needs to enforce as he did with holms.

[Shawn]

Academic point now, but wouldn't it be better to go and fail, than to not show up and then try to make up some bogus excuse? If you fail, it seems like you could come up with more credible excuses, like second hand smoke, you thought the policy allowed you to smoke in Colorado, you ate a poppy seed bagel, didn't mean to inhale, hemp farm caught on fire, when in Rome, etc.

Second hand smoke is not a credible excuse to any medical review officer worth his degree. There are cut off levels set on the quantitative labs to eliminate such issues.

[Oviedo]

Yeah, if only we still had Cowher (Bam Morris) or Belichick (Aaron Hernandez)...

Yep. Since it is about Coach leadership both those coaches are failures. Just like Noll with Ernie Holmes shooting at cops and steroids. All failures.

[Ghost]

Sign Rice and the Steelers hit the trifecta - substance abuse, animal abuse and spousal abuse. The Steelers.... They're FANtastic...

[Ghost]

Also, all this chatter about the NFL looking the other way when it comes to smoking pot is total nonsense. It is still a federal crime regardless of what a few states have said. No way the NFL is taking on a Federal law or angering a system that protects their monopoly.

It's not a right to be an NFL player. Do it and stop smoking pot or become Ricky Williams and quit and wonder the world lighting up (and apparently much happier in life!). It's actually quite simple.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

[URL]http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/report-steelers-rb-le-veon-bell-missed-several-drug-tests-072316[/URL] if this is true WOW

If Bell did indeed miss several drug tests, that's just more evidence that he's got a drug dependency issue, IMO. "Stupidity" or "immaturity" might account for one missed test...but, after everything he's already been through, and with what he knows is at stake, missing multiple tests? That indicates an addiction problem.

I'm sure the Steelers have tried to get him into treatment, but if he won't go, they ought to look at Joique Bell as a possible complement to DeAngelo.

[SteelCrazy]

Bell completed his 15 month probation program today and it might tell us why he missed "several" NFL drug tests.

[Moonie]

Also, all this chatter about the NFL looking the other way when it comes to smoking pot is total nonsense. It is still a federal crime regardless of what a few states have said. No way the NFL is taking on a Federal law or angering a system that protects their monopoly.

Deciding not to test employees for marijuana is not "taking on a Federal law." That is idiotic. It is not "looking the other way" either. The large majority of businesses in America don't test their employees for drugs, and its absurd to think that is "looking the other way." It's deciding its none of your business and irrelevant.

If the NFL were to drop this detrimental practice, it may "anger a system that protects their monopoly," but the system will get over it very fast. $$$$$$$.

[feltdizz]

Deciding not to test employees for marijuana is not "taking on a Federal law." That is idiotic. It is not "looking the other way" either. The large majority of businesses in America don't test their employees for drugs, and its absurd to think that is "looking the other way." It's deciding its none of your business and irrelevant.

If the NFL were to drop this detrimental practice, it may "anger a system that protects their monopoly," but the system will get over it very fast. $$$$$$$.

its definitely about money...

players should push for it in the 2020 CBA like Madden suggested