Oh ye of the rush to judgement and little faith, you know who you are, your wish has been granted. You acted surprised, like “it’s about time”. The moment Le’Veon Bell hints at his return on Twitter is a little bit late to be changing your tune. Through it all, how many of you accused Bell of being greedy for holding out? How many of you said he was selfish and not a team player? How many of you held his suspension and injuries against him? That kind of judgement is shortsighted and inaccurate to say the least. It’s understandable to want what is best for the Pittsburgh Steelers, which at the moment is a seventh Lombardi Trophy. Is it wrong for Bell to want what he believes is best for him and his family?
Le’Veon Bell Hints at Return From Non-Holdout
9-1-17 😉 https://t.co/8Sj7MvzD79
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) August 23, 2017
Bell is one of the hardest working players on the roster, and by all accounts, he is a tremendous teammate. He is the best running back in the game and wants to be paid like it. What’s wrong with wanting to be paid what you feel you are worth? Bell’s absence from training camp should not have come as a surprise to anyone. It was a part of a calculated gamble he made on himself.
His absence from camp was about preserving his health for the regular season. To label his time away as a holdout is inaccurate, regardless of ESPN’s label. The traditional definition of a holdout is not showing up until a team forks over the money. Bell had his money, he just decided that he wasn’t signing for it until the first day in September.
It’s unfortunate that Bell and the Steelers never reached an agreement, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Neither Bell or the Steelers are at fault for failing to reach an agreement. Art Rooney II and Kevin Colbert have both acknowledged that they didn’t hold his suspension or injuries against him. If that is the case, why do many of you? The one thing that Bell and the Steelers agree on, is that they both want him in Pittsburgh long term.
Before Bell Hints at His Return on Twitter
While many of you fine folks were judging Bell for misplaced character flaws, he was working. Other than tweeting that he wasn’t going anywhere, and didn’t want to play anywhere else, he was quiet. He tried to tell you he was loyal to the Steelers, but you didn’t listen or believe. If he was a bad teammate, would Maurkice Pouncey offer to pay Bell to come to camp? Would Antonio Brown have called for fans to pressure Bell to show up on social media? They did it because they love it when he’s around. They did it because Bell is a good teammate. The Rooney’s and Bell’s teamates believe in him as a person. How can people who don’t know him judge his character? How cool is it that he announced his return to a fan who asked him when he was coming back? It’s pretty darn cool.
