Le’Veon Bell suspension reduced from 4 games to 3

Le’Veon Bell suspension reduced from 4 games to 3

By James Brady on Aug 19, 20+

Bell’s appeal successfully convinced the NFL to reduce his suspension.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will serve a reduced suspension of three games after an appeal to the NFL, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Bell was originally suspended four games for missed drug tests, but told the media that he planned to appeal and that he did not plan to miss any games.

Bell’s suspension was his second in two years, after having a three-game suspension for violating the same substance abuse policy in 2015. He successfully reduced his suspension to two games on appeal last year, but still wound up missing a total of 10 games after sustaining a season-ending knee injury.

The big question was whether or not Bell would be 100 percent healthy for the start of the season due to the injury before his suspension was handed down. The Steelers’ running game became a huge question mark when his suspension was handed down, however.

Last season DeAngelo Williams filled in quite well for Bell, managing 907 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry, which was surprising late in his career, and many wondered if he had enough left in the tank to carry the team’s rushing attack for another four games.

Bell will miss games against Washington, the Bengals and the Eagles, and he will return for the Steelers’ Sunday Night Football matchup against the Chiefs in Week 4.

to read rest of article:

http://www.sbnation.com/2016/8/19/12319364/leveon-bell-suspension-appeal-steelers-reduced

Mike Garafolo @MikeGarafolo

Staying in the same stage of the program means Le'Veon Bell's next suspension would also be four games, not 10. Decent deal for him.

Alex Kozora Retweeted Mike Garafolo

Important detail though one I hope Bell has to never deal with again.

https://twitter.com/Alex_Kozora?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Sigh. What a frustrating couple of years.

well...I'm not a mathematician but 3 is less then 4 I guess..

If we didn't have a viable substitute like DeAngelo, I'd have cared more. But I think he and Touissant will do just fine. It's Martavis that pisses me off. DHB is NOT Bryant.

James C Wexell Retweeted
Matt Miller ‏@nfldraftscout

How Le'Veon Bell got three games and Josh Brown got one is why the NFL's suspension policy is a joke.

https://twitter.com/jimwexell?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Starting to think the Bell is a pathological liar, which is worse than being a recreational weed smoker. He thinks he can lie his way out of problems. Reminds of the the Olympic swimmer and many other entitled athletes.

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

Mike Garafolo @MikeGarafolo

Staying in the same stage of the program means Le'Veon Bell's next suspension would also be four games, not 10. Decent deal for him.

Alex Kozora Retweeted Mike Garafolo

Important detail though one I hope Bell has to never deal with again.

https://twitter.com/Alex_Kozora?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Well it's good to have something to look forward to *facepalm*

Ultimately this is on Bell, this is on his shoulders. He needs to start acting like a grown ass man, and take responsibility for himself. Pisses me off I'm making my first trip to Pittsburgh and I don't get to see him play because once again, he was stupid, and put himself in a bad situation.

Josh Brown gets suspended 1 game for assaulting his ex more than 20 times. Bell gets 3 games for not peeing in a cup. I'm glad that the NFL has their priorities right.

I'm not defending Bell. It's obvious he lied but him staying in the same stage is not something Goodell would sign off on unless they had a weak case. Maybe they had his new # and didn't notify him of the test/tests. It sounds to me that both sides screwed up. The fact remains that he stood in front of a reporter and lied about this. So the question is: Can he be trusted to tell the truth? I don't think so. Is Goodell a ? Oh hell yeah!!!! Just thought I'd clear the Goodell thing up for anyone in doubt.

DesertSteel wrote:

Starting to think the Bell is a pathological liar, which is worse than being a recreational weed smoker. He thinks he can lie his way out of problems. Reminds of the the Olympic swimmer and many other entitled athletes.

The problem is he cannot shut up and is either too dumb or baked to avoid digging himself in deeper - this from his tweet yesterday  

Le’Veon Bell posted a video on Twitter Friday. He apologized to fans for being suspended for the first three games of the season due to missing three drug tests within the past nine months. He also tried to explain why he missed those tests.

But in doing so, Bell gave Steelers fans and the organization that must decide if they want to keep him long-term ample reason to question his judgment. Bell states in the video that he hasn’t smoked marijuana since December of 2014.

Foot inserted in mouth.

That means Bell smoked marijuana at least once in the weeks after he was arrested for DUI and admitted to police that he smoked marijuana hours before the team was set to board a flight for a preseason game in Philadelphia in August 2014.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/S...s/201608200120

Le'Veon Bell - where a lack of brains and a lack of class intersect.

I can understand if the Steelers resign him because he is that good on the field. I'd like to pull for him after two season ending knee injuries, but after two seasons shortened due to his mary jane problems, it's hard to want him back.

Bell better come back and win Super Bowl MVP. Otherwise, his worth will be zero. I believe he will do it again, like I thought Bryant would.

Fuck Goodell by the way. I didn't think I could hate someone more than I already did. 3 games for what? Why was it reduced if he did something wrong. NFL is a joke.

i prefer mary jane as a pain killer over prescription pain medication.

just saying.

Bell reiterates suspension apology

By Mark Kaboly

Le'Veon Bell on Saturday spoke to the media for the first time since having his four-game suspension reduced to three games Friday, but didn't want to get into specifics dealing with missing three tests that resulted in the suspension.

“I'm going to serve my three-game suspension, that's what I got. I've obviously already apologized to my teammates and coaches, Steeler Nation,” Bell said. “I'm sincerely sorry about everything I put everybody through. It's been a frustrating run.

“I own up to everything. It's all my fault and I can't blame anyone else for that. I'm going to serve my suspension and move on from there.”

This is the second straight year Bell has missed the opening of the season while serving a drug-related suspension. He missed the first two games last season after an incident in August 2014 involving then-teammate LeGarrette Blount. Bell was charged with possession of marijuana and DUI.

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/11005182-74/bell-suspension-game

Wallace108 wrote:

Bell reiterates suspension apology

By Mark Kaboly

Le'Veon Bell on Saturday spoke to the media for the first time since having his four-game suspension reduced to three games Friday, but didn't want to get into specifics dealing with missing three tests that resulted in the suspension.

“I'm going to serve my three-game suspension, that's what I got. I've obviously already apologized to my teammates and coaches, Steeler Nation,” Bell said. “I'm sincerely sorry about everything I put everybody through. It's been a frustrating run.

“I own up to everything. It's all my fault and I can't blame anyone else for that. I'm going to serve my suspension and move on from there.”

This is the second straight year Bell has missed the opening of the season while serving a drug-related suspension. He missed the first two games last season after an incident in August 2014 involving then-teammate LeGarrette Blount. Bell was charged with possession of marijuana and DUI.

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/11005182-74/bell-suspension-game

throw a bone.

Wallace108 wrote:

Bell reiterates suspension apology

By Mark Kaboly

Le'Veon Bell on Saturday spoke to the media for the first time since having his four-game suspension reduced to three games Friday, but didn't want to get into specifics dealing with missing three tests that resulted in the suspension.

“I'm going to serve my three-game suspension, that's what I got. I've obviously already apologized to my teammates and coaches, Steeler Nation,” Bell said. “I'm sincerely sorry about everything I put everybody through. It's been a frustrating run.

“I own up to everything. It's all my fault and I can't blame anyone else for that. I'm going to serve my suspension and move on from there.”

This is the second straight year Bell has missed the opening of the season while serving a drug-related suspension. He missed the first two games last season after an incident in August 2014 involving then-teammate LeGarrette Blount. Bell was charged with possession of marijuana and DUI.

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/11005182-74/bell-suspension-game

"I'm going to serve my suspension and move on from there." What the hell does that mean?

"I'll make the same stupid mistake again in the future," or "I've realized that smoking weed can ruin my career."

He still doesn't get it.

FrancoLambert wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

Bell reiterates suspension apology

By Mark Kaboly

Le'Veon Bell on Saturday spoke to the media for the first time since having his four-game suspension reduced to three games Friday, but didn't want to get into specifics dealing with missing three tests that resulted in the suspension.

“I'm going to serve my three-game suspension, that's what I got. I've obviously already apologized to my teammates and coaches, Steeler Nation,” Bell said. “I'm sincerely sorry about everything I put everybody through. It's been a frustrating run.

“I own up to everything. It's all my fault and I can't blame anyone else for that. I'm going to serve my suspension and move on from there.”

This is the second straight year Bell has missed the opening of the season while serving a drug-related suspension. He missed the first two games last season after an incident in August 2014 involving then-teammate LeGarrette Blount. Bell was charged with possession of marijuana and DUI.

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/11005182-74/bell-suspension-game

"I'm going to serve my suspension and move on from there."  What the hell does that mean?    

"I'll make the same stupid mistake again in the future," or "I've realized that smoking weed can ruin my career."

He still doesn't get it.  

These guys have been told since they hit adolescence how wonderful they are because of their extraordinary athletic ability - some deal with the entitlement with no problem, others (the franchise QB did not straighten out until after his sixth season) not so much.  Who the player runs with socially (during 2015 the Steelers allegedly were not thrilled by Bryant's posse) can be a factor.

After this latest problem I think Bell has burned his bridges with the Steelers. Since Bell is gone after this year he can look forward to having Tomlin run the wheels off him

Le'Veon Bell didn't stop using drugs after his arrest

By Ray Fittipaldo/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
August 20, 2016

Le’Veon Bell posted a video on Twitter Friday. He apologized to fans for being suspended for the first three games of the season due to missing three drug tests within the past nine months. He also tried to explain why he missed those tests.

But in doing so, Bell gave Steelers fans and the organization that must decide if they want to keep him long-term ample reason to question his judgment. Bell states in the video that he hasn’t smoked marijuana since December of 2014.

Foot inserted in mouth.

That means Bell smoked marijuana at least once in the weeks after he was arrested for DUI and admitted to police that he smoked marijuana hours before the team was set to board a flight for a preseason game in Philadelphia in August 2014.

God forbid he would have stopped the day after he embarrassed himself and the Steelers organization.

Bell proudly stated that he hadn’t used drugs in a year and a half, but he opened up a whole new set of questions about his dependability. We can debate the stringent nature of the NFL’s drug policy and how it’s behind the times when it comes to the medicinal benefits of the drug. (I’m of the opinion that marijuana should be used as an alternative to prescription pain killers, which pose a far higher threat to the long-term well-being of players). However, when rules are place that have been collectively bargained and agreed upon by your union, you have to follow them.

Then there is the matter of Bell not answering questions truthfully. This happened in June when he was confronted by reporters with news of a report that he was going to be suspended. He said he never failed a test or missed a test. That turned out to be a bald-faced lie. He in fact did miss three tests, which he admitted to Friday. He doubled down on social media later in the summer when he said he wouldn’t be suspended at all.

On Tuesday, I asked Bell when his appeal would be heard. He told me nothing had been scheduled yet. Is it possible the league scheduled the appeal hearing later in the day Tuesday, Wednesday or even Thursday?

Perhaps, but not likely. Something tells me the NFL has far better planning than that.

After the past few months anyone has the right to question the veracity of everything that comes out of Bell’s mouth. That includes his teammates, who stood behind him. And most importantly, when it comes to his long-term future with the team, it includes the Steelers’ front office.

It’s possible – likely (I hope) – that Bell is more truthful with the Steelers’ front office. But Kevin Colbert’s statement Friday, while stating support for Bell, didn’t exactly foreshadow a new contract for the star running back.

to read rest of article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Steelers-Blog/2016/08/20/Le-Veon-Bell-didn-t-stop-using-drugs-after-his-August-2014-arrest/stories/201608200120

Bell is reminding me of some of the talented RBs we had in the early 90's who decided to screw everything up by involving themselves in matters they shouldn't have and were ultimately released from the Steelers.

Is Bell here because of his talent? If he were lower on the roster would he have already been released? Are the Steelers changing the "standard" because of the impact to their roster if they maintain the "standard"?

Apparently the standard is no longer the standard.

stlrtruck wrote:

Bell is reminding me of some of the talented RBs we had in the early 90's who decided to screw everything up by involving themselves in matters they shouldn't have and were ultimately released from the Steelers.

Is Bell here because of his talent?  If he were lower on the roster would he have already been released?  Are the Steelers changing the "standard" because of the impact to their roster if they maintain the "standard"?

Apparently the standard is no longer the standard.

Great question. I suspect the answer for Bell and Bryant is "yes' that they are still on the team because of their talent after the BS they are subjecting their teams to.

stlrtruck wrote:

Is Bell here because of his talent?  If he were lower on the roster would he have already been released?  Are the Steelers changing the "standard" because of the impact to their roster if they maintain the "standard"?

Apparently the standard is no longer the standard.

Hey bro... that's NEVER been the standard. Not in Pittsburgh. Not anywhere. If you can play, you get more leash. Always been the case in every sport for all history. And will never change.

DesertSteel wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

Is Bell here because of his talent?  If he were lower on the roster would he have already been released?  Are the Steelers changing the "standard" because of the impact to their roster if they maintain the "standard"?

Apparently the standard is no longer the standard.

Hey bro... that's NEVER been the standard. Not in Pittsburgh. Not anywhere. If you can play, you get more leash. Always been the case in every sport for all history. And will never change.

We kept Ernie Holmes in the 70's when he fired at a police helicopter for crying out loud. Anyhow, I think Bell needs to grow up some but I really think the stigmatizing of weed leads to situations like this in the first place. I'd much rather LeVeon be a recreational marijuana user than an alcohol abuser. The NFL has plenty of sponsors in the alcohol industry but testing positive for pot gets you suspended. I get that rules are rules and Beil is definitely hurting his career by not following them but I really hate that double standard.