Steelers’ Bell reportedly facing suspension
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, center, could be suspended to start the season.
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell reportedly is facing a four-game suspension for missing a mandatory drug test.
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is facing a four-game suspension from the NFL for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, according to an ESPN report released Friday.
Bell’s suspension is reportedly for skipping one or more multiple mandatory drug tests during the offseason, something the running back denied when the rumors surfaced in June on a Pittsburgh radio station.
“I haven’t missed any drug tests,” Bell told reporters on the final day of the Steelers’ mini-camp June 14. “I haven’t failed any drug tests. I’m completely fine.”
The suspension has not been released by the NFL because Bell, 24, is appealing the decision. The Steelers report to training camp Thursday at Saint Vincent College.
Under the NFLPA rules, the league can impose sanctions against a player already in the substance-abuse system if that player fails a test or if the league believes there has been a deliberate attempt to evade or avoid testing.
Otherwise, unless a warning is issued, the first time a player fails to appear for a test, he can be fined up to $25,000. A second failure to appear can result in a fine of 2/17 of the player’s salary.
A third missed test results in a four-game suspension without pay.
It is not known whether Bell’s missed test was his first or third.
Bell, who is returning from a torn MCL suffered Nov. 1, was placed in the NFL’s substance abuse program after a traffic stop in Aug. 2014 during which he and then-Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount were found with marijuana. Bell, who was driving, was sentenced to 15 months of probation as a first-time offender.
The NFL suspended Bell for the first three games of last season. He appealed, getting the penalty reduced to two games.
But that automatically placed him in the substance abuse program, meaning he was subjected to random testing, including in the offseason.
Teammate Martavis Bryant was suspended for the 2016 season earlier this year for a similar infraction. Bryant had been suspended for four games last year.
Bell played in six games last season after serving his suspension, rushing for 556 yards and three touchdowns and catching 24 passes for 136 yards. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in a Week 10 loss to Cincinnati, marking the second consecutive season in which had ended the year in that fashion.
With Bell out, veteran running back DeAngelo Williams led the Steelers with 907 yards and 13 touchdowns.
If Bell is suspended, Williams will again be counted on to carry the ground game for the Steelers, who open the season Sept. 12 at Washington. Bell would also miss games against Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Kansas City.
Bell set a team record with 2,215 yards from scrimmage in 2014. He is heading into the final year of his rookie contract with the Steelers, who selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft.