Steelers Players Furious After Le'Veon Bell's Agent Gives Holdout Update
As Le’Veon Bell continues his holdout, those inside Steelers headquarters are getting increasingly frustrated about the running back’s actions.
As of Thursday, Bell has not yet reported to sign his franchise tag and is all but officially ruled out for Pittsburgh’s season opener Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
His agent, Adisa Bakari, said Wednesday that the holdout could continue much longer than anyone expected and that Bell’s priority is to preserve his long-term health.
“We know Le’Veon has several years ahead of him in football,” Bakari said on ESPN’s “NFL Live.” “We know his days in Pittsburgh are precarious, at best. … He’s a once-in-a-generation player, he’s a multipurpose player, and I think 31 other teams might view him similarly when we get to free agency next season.”
Baker seems to indicate that Bell is interested in preserving his body this season so that he can be healthy once he becomes a free agent next year.
The latest that Bell can sign his franchise tag in order to hit free agency next year is Week 11. If he doesn’t sign it by then, he must then sit out the whole season and wouldn’t gain an accrued season towards free agency.
Bell holding out for 10 regular season weeks might be great for his body, but it would be a huge blow to the Steelers. Some of his teammates didn’t mince words in describing Bell’s unclear status.
“He f—ed us,” one unidentified veteran told ESPN as he walked out of the locker room Wednesday.
“If you don’t want to be here, it is what it is. Hold out 10 weeks,” center Maurkice Pouncey said.
“Here’s a guy who doesn’t give a damn,” guard Ramon Foster told reporters.
— Ramon Foster (@RamonFoster) September 5, 2018
Steelers beat writer Tim Benz said Bell told the team back in March that he’d report and play under the franchise tag. Now that he hasn’t reported, it throws the entire organization into flux, and his teammates’ future earnings could also be affected if he doesn’t play.
Bell has every right to do that. No debate. But the room has a right to be ticked about his approach and a right to comment on it. Because their $ is impacted by potential team success… which is negatively impacted by what Bell did.
— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) September 6, 2018
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the Steelers won’t rescind the franchise tag for Bell, which would be the only way the two sides could discuss a long-term deal.
The running back is sacrificing $850,000 for each week that he misses, but Bell and his agent clearly are looking at the long-term picture, even if it creates problems for Pittsburgh in the upcoming season.
Ben Roethlisberger is one of two Steelers, along with Antonio Brown, who will be making more than Bell’s $14.5 million this season.
Roethlisberger stressed that football is a team sport and the success of the offense doesn’t fall on just one guy.
“I think we’re a very good offense,” he said. “Football is the ultimate team sport. One person doesn’t make or break you, so I’d like to say that the linemen are more important than any skill position player, including myself, on this team. This offense is more than just one guy.”
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