On Friday May 26, former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell appeared on the Steel Here podcast and admitted that he “smoked” before playing in NFL games.
“When I was playing football, I smoked, bro. Even before the games, I smoked. And I would go out there and run for 150, two (touchdowns),” he told co-hosts Kevin Adams and Jersey Jerry.
“In the NFL?” Jerry interjected.
“Yeah,” confirmed Bell, who played for Pittsburgh between 2013-17 before sitting out a full season in a contract dispute with the Steelers. Later, he went on to continue his career with the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens.
Le’Veon Bell Was Twice Suspended by the NFL
Bell also went on to discuss the August 2014 DUI that got him suspended two games for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse in 2015.
“Looking back on it, damn, I wish I was just smarter about it — like the whole situation. Me being young and in Pittsburgh. The way I got caught was crazy. The cop was on a motorcycle and me and LeGarrette Blount had already smoked,” he said, referring to his former teammate, who was himself suspended for one game, having been a passenger in the car.
As it happens, Bell was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy again in 2016, which he says the Steelers held over him in subsequent contract negotiations.
The Michigan State product (selected No. 48 overall in the 2nd round in 2013) last played for the Steelers in 2017 and hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2021 season. According to StatMuse, Bell appeared in 96 regular-season games over the course of 10 NFL seasons, rushing the ball 1,595 times for 6,554 yards with 42 rushing touchdowns. He also caught a total of 399 passes for 3,289 yards with nine touchdown receptions, earning Pro Bowl honors three times.
Last year he embarked on a boxing career, beginning with a Sept. 2022 exhibition in which he knocked out former NFL All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson. He’s also floated the idea of getting in the ring ex-Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
Le’Veon Bell Has Advice for Najee Harris
In the aforementioned podcast episode (titled “What the Hell, Bell?”), …read more
Source:: Heavy.com
