Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell Thursday spoke for the first time about the four-game suspension that was announced last week for reportedly failing to show up for a couple of drug tests.
Bell said he was sorry for the situation, but otherwise didn’t go into much detail about the situation surrounding the suspension other than he was hopeful it would get overturned.
“I want to apologize to Steeler Nation, all the fans and players and coaches for being a distraction to this whole situation,” Bell told reporters (via ESPN.com). “I don’t, obviously, want to be a distraction, but this whole situation, the appeal, is going to run its course.”
Coach Mike Tomlin said he expects the team to hear back on Bell’s appeal in mid-August, and here’s hoping that Bell has enough of a case to get the suspension overturned.
The running back rushed for 556 yards and three scores last season before he was injured in week eight against the Bengals, and he missed the rest of the season.
At the end of the day, Bell has been confident that he’s going to not miss any games in 2016 – now it’s up to the NFL and their appeal process to see if they agree.
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DaveB.
July 29, 2016 at 5:11 am
The more I hear on this story , the more it makes me sick . Hey LeVeon . Newsflash . You most certainly are a distraction for the second year in a row . Its getting really old , really fast . Bells defense now seems to be that he changed cell phones and got a new number in the process . That was why the league couldnt contact him concerning his testing schedule . Thats just about as lame as the league asking to see Tom Bradys cell phone and he says I cant , I destroyed it . Bottom line , if you think thats going to hold water with the league , Bells even dumber than I originally thought . He has no clue .
DrGeorge
July 29, 2016 at 7:54 am
DaveB, I think it’s even worse than that. As I understand the conditions imposed after his first offense, Bell had a positive duty to report any change in his phone or address to the league. If those reports are accurate, Bell’s defense is every more threadbare than we initially thought. His chances look especially bleak after Brady’s failed appeal on facts far more ambiguous. There is nothing ambiguous about Bell’s failure to test. Do you think Goodell, when unable to reach Bell by phone, didn’t inform his agent of the scheduled test? If the agent knew, Bell constructively knew of the test and chose not to go.
Dave B.
July 29, 2016 at 6:29 pm
Totally agree .