Le’Veon Bell Confirms He Would ‘Absolutely’ Consider Retiring If Steelers Tag Him

[Shoes]

BY ALEX KOZORA (http://www.steelersdepot.com/author/alex-kozora/) FEBRUARY 2, 2018 AT 03:19 PM
Right before the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff loss to Jacksonville, an ESPN report came out that looked at Le’Veon Bell’s future. In it, Bell seemed to indicate he would consider holding out for all of 2018 or retiring if the team put the franchise tag on him for the second straight year.
Earlier today on NFL Network, Bell was asked to address those comments and doubled down on them, confirming he would “absolutely” consider walking away if that’s what happened.
“I would consider it,” Bell said. “That’s what the question was. Would I consider it?”
Bell was then asked if he would consider it. He wasted no time replying.
“Yes.”

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2018/02/leveon-bell-confirms-absolutely-consider-retiring-steelers-tag/

[st33lersguy]

He, his drama, and his 12 games of availability per year are not worth his asking price, especially considering that the highest paid RB after Bell was Davonta Freeman at slightly more than $8 million

[DesertSteel]

I’d love to see him retire. He can go right ahead with his brilliant rap career.

[Steelerchad]

dare

[Steeldude]

Oh well, one less pothead.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

He is saying he doesn't care about the Money and can't wait to retire as a Steeler!

[Fire Goodell]

I’d love to see him retire. He can go right ahead with his brilliant rap career.

I'm guessing it'll have as much success as "Snoop Lion"

[pczach]

Yeah, and I'll consider impaling myself on a rusty metal fence if the Steelers ever lose another game.....

All he has worried or talked about is getting more money than anyone who ever played the position by 2.5 miles
and a long-term contract.....but he's willing to lose a full season in him prime and all the money that comes with that while also giving him one less earning year in his career?

Sure you will Le'Veon. :jerkit:

[Born2Steel]

Of course he'll "consider" it. If he gets offered a new deal, he will "consider" retiring, walking away from the table, and signing. I don't think many people get Bell's sense of humor, since it comes from a place most of us have never been. He also said in that article that he still believe a deal will get done, many of you don't. He said the 2 sides are closer now than ever, well that's just obvious since it's been ongoing for over a year now.
I cannot understand how the process works for guys, like Bell, that have always been gifted athletes, never had to work a 'regular job' in their life, and can just go do whatever he wants to in life. I just don't get it, and no reason why I should. Bell is immature and a me-first personality because, like many pro players, it's all he has ever had to be. The Steelers will do what is best for the Steelers. Take what Bell says as him trying to make light jokes about his situation. He knows his deal will never guarantee him $60M like the tweet offered. But if the Jets actually offered that, you better believe Bell would "consider" it.

[FrancoLambert]

Me, me, me players. We know how that ends for a team.

Bye-bye.

So, we make the playoffs next year and lose in the first round without him. Oops, we did that with him.

[86WARD]

Same interview he also said he’d play on the tag...soooo...

[j-d-s]

Yeah, like getting no money and sitting out a year will get you a better contract. No team will give him $20 million after he sat out a year.

[Moose]

No job.....how would he buy the drugs ? LOL......Cya' !

[Edman]

The metamorphosis of the bovine mammal known as the Le'Veon. Extensive research on the creature indicates it undergoes a strange transformation in the late winter months from a productive and active being to a very tiresome but very funny creature.

From bellcow to lolcow.

[AtlantaDan]

No job.....how would he buy the drugs ? LOL......Cya' !

Maybe he has automatic withdrawals taken from every paycheck and placed in a rainy day stash account to pay for his pot for the day the paydays quit coming?

[Born2Steel]

How many of us on here have NEVER smoked pot? Bell got in trouble, got a DUI and a suspension for it. There has been nothing about it since. But i guess he's a pothead for life?

[Mojouw]

Same interview he also said he’d play on the tag...soooo...
Funny how no one mentions that.

[zulater]

I don't know what the Steelers are going to do with Bell. Nor do I even have a solid opinion what they should do? But there is a part of me that would like to see him released ( get a 3rd round compensation pick in 19) and see what he gets on the open market. I would laugh my ass off if the contract he turned down last August isn't met on by a free agent suitor! lol

[AtlantaDan]

How many of us on here have NEVER smoked pot? Bell got in trouble, got a DUI and a suspension for it. There has been nothing about it since. But i guess he's a pothead for life?

How many of us kept smoking pot after we knew we were subject to testing for it by our employer and missed drug screening tests after we were suspended for using it?

If someone keeps smoking pot with the knowledge it can result in getting suspended or fired from your job IMO that person has some substance abuse issues.

[teegre]

How many of us kept smoking pot after we knew we were subject to testing for it by our employer and missed drug screening tests after we were suspended for using it?

If someone keeps smoking pot with the knowledge it can result in getting suspended or fired from your job IMO that person has some substance abuse issues.

:nod:

If someone offered me $50 million, I could abstain from just about anything for a few years.

[Born2Steel]

How many of us kept smoking pot after we knew we were subject to testing for it by our employer and missed drug screening tests after we were suspended for using it?

If someone keeps smoking pot with the knowledge it can result in getting suspended or fired from your job IMO that person has some substance abuse issues.

Did he get busted for pot a second time? The last conversation I remember about Bell and pot was when he said he had not smoked since Dec of '14. That was when everyone gave him hell since his DUI was a few months before that, and he didn't stop immediately. When he missed a test, which counts as a positive according to the NFL, even that was a joke and got reduced. This pile-on has reached ridiculous proportions.

[BlackAndGold]

https://media2.giphy.com/media/EouEzI5bBR8uk/giphy.gif

[AtlantaDan]

When he missed a test, which counts as a positive according to the NFL, even that was a joke and got reduced.

He admitted in one of his tweets (that was pulled down after his agent or the Steelers front office presumably contacted him to ask WTF?) that he missed three tests

After his suspension was announced, Bell apologized to his fans and teammates in a video he posted to Twitter that was removed a short time later. He stated in the video that he missed drug tests in December, January and April. "I put the blame on myself," Bell said.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000687567/article/leveon-bells-suspension-reduced-to-three-games

If you know you will be suspended for missing a test and miss three of them you are either an idiot or know you fucked up by indulging and do not want to test positive.

Bell deserves any scorn coming his way for the second suspension and the impact it presumably has on his contract negotiations. Fool me once shame on you - fool me twice shame on me.

[Born2Steel]

He admitted in one of his tweets (that was pulled down after his agent or the Steelers front office presumably contacted him to ask WTF?) that he missed three tests

After his suspension was announced, Bell apologized to his fans and teammates in a video he posted to Twitter that was removed a short time later. He stated in the video that he missed drug tests in December, January and April. "I put the blame on myself," Bell said.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000687567/article/leveon-bells-suspension-reduced-to-three-games

If you know you will be suspended for missing a test and miss three of them you are either an idiot or know you fucked up by indulging and do not want to test positive.

Bell deserves any scorn coming his way for the second suspension and the impact it presumably has on his contract negotiations. Fool me once shame on you - fool me twice shame on me.

My point was about the pot. You implied Bell has continued to smoke pot and therefore has a substance abuse problem.

"How many of us kept smoking pot after we knew we were subject to testing for it by our employer and missed drug screening tests after we were suspended for using it?

If someone keeps smoking pot with the knowledge it can result in getting suspended or fired from your job IMO that person has some substance abuse issues."

As far as we know, Bell hasn't used since Dec. of 2014. And that's only because he told us that was his last time. So what would make a person accuse him of still using and having a substance abuse issue?

[GBMelBlount]

Signing Leveon for anything close to what he is asking is a BAD deal.

We could get as good a running back AND receiver for that money, save money (2 players for 1), and lower our risk.

[AtlantaDan]

My point was about the pot. You implied Bell has continued to smoke pot and therefore has a substance abuse problem.

"How many of us kept smoking pot after we knew we were subject to testing for it by our employer and missed drug screening tests after we were suspended for using it?

If someone keeps smoking pot with the knowledge it can result in getting suspended or fired from your job IMO that person has some substance abuse issues."

As far as we know, Bell hasn't used since Dec. of 2014. And that's only because he told us that was his last time. So what would make a person accuse him of still using and having a substance abuse issue?

You started the ball rolling on this by asking the rhetorical question who has not smoked pot. I replied by framing Bell's conduct and its consequences, which is different from someone who sparked up before spring formal, to celebrate the end of finals, or did some marijuana tourism in Colorado or Washington while not being subject to testing by their employer once they got back home.

I did not say he is still using - I posted that maybe he has stashed $$$ away for pot if he retires and has no alternative source of income (FWIW I bet Bell resumes smoking after he quits playing - good for him - it is safer than alcohol).

I did say he has a substance abuse problem.

He missed three tests (not one). Missing multiple tests supports the inference he missed the tests to avoid testing positive (which is why a missed test is treated as the equivalent of testing positive - drug use is the likely suspect for missing multiple tests). Bryant was roasted for missing multiple tests in late 2015 and presumed to be using during that time. Why does Bell get the benefit of the doubt for what was not a one off?

But leave that aside - he already was looking at a suspension for getting pulled over in the summer of 2014, after which under the CBA his next positive test would lead to a greater suspension. Yet he admits he continued to smoke through that December in the same twitter video where he admitted to missing three tests before it was pulled down (oops).

Around the same time as he admits to having his last joint, Bell was engaged in negotiations for a plea deal that would satisfy an Allegheny County judge as he sought inclusion into a first offender’s program for the charges he faced.

http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2016/08/20/leveon-bell-inadvertently-admits-to-smoking-weed-in-december-2014/

Do you think that someone using marijuana in December 2014 while their attorney is trying to cut a plea deal to enter into a first offender program for prior use in the summer of 2014 indicates that person has their use of a banned substance under control?

My view is marijuana should be legal - it isn't. If someone nevertheless continues to use and risks losing hundreds of thousand of dollars while adversely impacting their prospects for a big time deal they have a problem.

[Born2Steel]

You started the ball rolling on this by asking the rhetorical question who has not smoked pot. I replied by framing Bell's conduct and its consequences, which is different from someone who sparked up before spring formal, to celebrate the end of finals, or did some marijuana tourism in Colorado or Washington while not being subject to testing by their employer once they got back home.

I did not say he is still using - I posted that maybe he has stashed $$$ away for pot if he retires and has no alternative source of income (FWIW I bet Bell resumes smoking after he quits playing - good for him - it is safer than alcohol).

I did say he has a substance abuse problem.

He missed three tests (not one). Missing multiple tests supports the inference he missed the tests to avoid testing positive (which is why a missed test is treated as the equivalent of testing positive - drug use is the likely suspect for missing multiple tests). Bryant was roasted for missing multiple tests in late 2015 and presumed to be using during that time. Why does Bell get the benefit of the doubt for what was not a one off?

But leave that aside - he already was looking at a suspension for getting pulled over in the summer of 2014, after which under the CBA his next positive test would lead to a greater suspension. Yet he admits he continued to smoke through that December. Do you think that indicates someone has their use of a banned substance under control?

My view is marijuana should be legal - it isn't. If someone nevertheless continues to use and risks losing hundreds of thousand of dollars while adversely impacting their prospects for a big time deal they have a problem.

"He missed three tests (not one). Missing multiple tests supports the inference he missed the tests to avoid testing positive (which is why a missed test is treated as the equivalent of testing positive - drug use is the likely suspect for missing multiple tests). Bryant was roasted for missing multiple tests in late 2015 and presumed to be using during that time. Why does Bell get the benefit of the doubt for what was not a one off?"

Not talking about Bryant. Bell missed tests, not tested positive. Suppose what you will, facts are facts and Bell did not have a positive test. To assume he was still using as to why he missed tests is on you alone, not Bell. Why the benefit of doubt? Because he said he hasn't used since 2014, hasn't failed a test, and even joked about it on 4/20 and tested fine after he was "randomly tested" because of that joke. The inference is that he is still smoking when you posted this,"If someone keeps smoking pot with the knowledge it can result in getting suspended or fired from your job IMO that person has some substance abuse issues." since we were talking about Bell and smoking pot at the time.

[Craic]

Well, back on track . . .

I wondered how long before this would blow up on this forum. I watched the interview. He was asked about what he stated earlier and then asked if he would still consider it. He basically said, yeah, sure. He also stated he wants to play for the Steelers and can't see himself on another team. In all honesty, this is a whole lot of much ado about nothing.

As for his pot use . . . he's gone three and a half years or so without a positive drug test. Furthermore, the last time he was suspended, it wasn't for a dirty test but was for missing a test that was required at something like 5:30 am, and he hadn't yet been informed he even had the test (although that was his fault for not providing proper contact info). Beyond that, remember that once you've tested positive, you're drug tests are no longer random from the league's perspective. They're allowed to test you when they see fit for a definite period of time. Occam's Razor? He's clean. My guess? He'll stay that way until retirement.

[Lady Steel]

My opinion is Bell is...


https://media1.tenor.com/images/753d723ea2b0dba40df3c404e8df6b46/tenor.gif?itemid=5065350

[Mojouw]

So I took a super quick look at some stuff today, and the thing is that Bell has a point about his contract value from a very specific perspective.

12-13K yard backs make 7-8 million dollars average per season in the NFL once they are no longer locked into rookie contracts. That is just the basic facts of the NFL marketplace.
60-80 catches and 600-800 yards as a WR typically gets you something between 6-8.5 million average per season on the second contract. Think Sanu, Marvin Jones, Crabtree, Kenny Stills, etc.

Add those two together and Bell is right, the math says you have a 13-16 million dollar a year "value". But here is where that argument breaks down for me. First is that you are talking pass rusher, LT, #1WR and high end CB money. That's okay, I can get on board with a RB in their prime making that much - if they had the stats from a single position. Here is the thing that Bell fails to realize (well maybe not the only thing!) - just because he puts up the stats of a legitimate second or third WR, doesn't mean the Steelers don't have to still have a legitimate #2 or #3 WR. We have seen what happens when they don't. So, in a sense, Bell is asking the team to pay for the WR portion of his performance twice - once for him and once for the guy who is also doing it. Not to mention that they have to spend the resources to identify and acquire the WR etc etc.

I think Bell is correct, his stats come close to justifying a 13-16 million a year average value - but since he can't play two positions at once, a front loaded 12-14 million dollar a year deal is a decent compromise.

[AtlantaDan]

I think Bell is correct, his stats come close to justifying a 13-16 million a year average value - but since he can't play two positions at once, a front loaded 12-14 million dollar a year deal is a decent compromise.

Thanks for the analytics :thumbsup:

Steelers biggest problem is someone else is willing to pay more than they are and Bell wants that number - given how he threw his teammates under the bus yesterday regarding how he was ready to play Jax but other teammates were not I do not sense any loyalty to the Black & Gold (which is fine, just saying this is not like some players factoring where they play into their calculations). Bell just wants to get paid.

The team willing to overpay might not be using reasonable market value but it is market value (see, e.g., what Danny Snyder is paying Alex Smith).

[Hawkman]

No chance of creating just one BELL thread instead of five?

[Mojouw]

Thanks for the analytics :thumbsup:

Steelers biggest problem is someone else is willing to pay more than they are and Bell wants that number - given how he threw his teammates under the bus yesterday regarding how he was ready to play Jax but other teammates were not I do not sense any loyalty to the Black & Gold (which is fine, just saying this is not like some players factoring where they play into their calculations). Bell just wants to get paid.

The team willing to overpay might not be using reasonable market value but it is market value (see, e.g., what Danny Snyder is paying Alex Smith).

That is also very very true. BUT -- Steelers control the conversation. They can always tag him. If Bell wants long-term security, or at least what passes for it in the NFL, he likely has to walk his demands back a bit. The #'s would be really different, and fascinating to see, if Bell was on the open market - but he isn't and won't get there for at least another 375+ touches.

If you combine the #'s from contract valuations and the "curse of 375", Bell would be well served to take the money (whatever it is) and run before he tries to get a contract as the next Larry Johnson or Eddie George - two guys who got burned up before their 30's.

[fansince'76]

Call his bluff and tag him.

[Craic]

Call his bluff and tag him.

I honestly don't care whether he's bluffing or not. I just say tag him so he can't sign with another team without giving us 2 first round picks. Then, take a breath and try to work out a deal.