As the Steelers begin their preparation for Week 2 vs Kansas City, they will do so once again without star running back Le’Veon Bell who has yet to report to the team.
Bell has yet to sign his franchise tender and the Steelers have completely removed the running back from their depth chart, which makes sense considering he’s technically not employed by the team:
#Steelers game week meetings begin in 20 minutes and RB Le’Veon Bell is not present again. Looks like James Conner starts again.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 12, 2018
So, how’s Bell spending his time during this holdout? He was spotted partying it up in a nightclub over the weekend:
#LeVeonBell #FantasyFootball https://t.co/4ZSx2ZrEkS pic.twitter.com/pOj5gbfpB0
— Terez Owens (@TerezOwens) September 11, 2018
Many thought Bell would end his holdout prior to the start of the regular season but according to NFL Network’s Maurice Jones-Drew, the comments made by his teammates altered those plans:
“I don’t know when he comes back,” Jones-Drew said. “He had a plan. He told me, but I will never say it.
“I knew. But then I didn’t know because all this stuff came out after the players said (what they did about his contract).”
At one point, Bell was described as “livid” over that development by Jones-Drew. Later on, though, the former Jaguar says Bell rationalized away that emotion by stating his teammates just didn’t understand the situation.
Jones-Drew went onto say Bell was still rooting for his teammates on Sunday against the Browns, particularly second-year back James Conner. The former Jacksonville Jaguar says Conner’s strong game justified his belief of Bell staying away from the team, asking how many carries he would he have gotten if Conner got 31 on Sunday.
