The Official Leveon Bell Watch thread

[Fire Goodell]

Yeah, he's not being a distraction alright... But Foster is correct.

[tube517]

[polamalubeast]

[steelreserve]

... But I thought in any contract dispute, the players immediately closed ranks and backed their comrade to the hilt?

[polamalubeast]

[tube517]

[polamalubeast]

[tube517]

[Fire Goodell]

https://steelersdepot.com/2018/09/st...t-give-a-damn/

Too much to quote here. Holy F, things just got real. Pouncey and Foster basically going off on Bell

[BlackAndGold]

Gotta move him. Players are officially pissed off.

[Fire Goodell]

... But I thought in any contract dispute, the players immediately closed ranks and backed their comrade to the hilt?

I think it's safe to say that this is a unique situation. It's not like Bell was getting a lowball contract. This would have made him the highest paid back (prior to the gurley contract) by a pretty large margin. He was a fool not to take it, and is now paying the price.

Not to mention that he handled the situation like a damn child (twitter posts, and incredibly wack rap songs that 'targeted' the Steeler fanbase and organization). If he did it with more dignity, maybe his linemen wouldn't be fed up with him.

[polamalubeast]

Holdout this is one thing, it's another thing of holdout when you can have 14 million in one year and that the steelers had offered 70 million and 33 million guaranteed

I have no problem he refuses this contract, but his lack of respect is another thing ...

[polamalubeast]

[ALLD]

I bet the Steelers are already shopping him. It will be 50/50 if he ever plays another snap for the Steelers if he is not in camp this week.

[AtlantaDan]

https://steelersdepot.com/2018/09/st...t-give-a-damn/

Too much to quote here. Holy F, things just got real. Pouncey and Foster basically going off on Bell

Yikes - with all his screwups even Bryant did not bring down that volume of fire (although letting loose now might also be in part for what was not said during Bell's prior no shows for drug suspensions)

Provides some context for Ben saying earlier today nobody is more important than the O-linemen

Do not get on the wrong side of these men

[steelreserve]

I think it's safe to say that this is a unique situation. It's not like Bell was getting a lowball contract. This would have made him the highest paid back (prior to the gurley contract) by a pretty large margin. He was a fool not to take it, and is now paying the price.

Not to mention that he handled the situation like a damn child (twitter posts, and incredibly wack rap songs that 'targeted' the Steeler fanbase and organization). If he did it with more dignity, maybe his linemen wouldn't be fed up with him.

It was more referring to some comments to that effect that a couple of people had made in another thread ... regular contract disputes may be one thing, everyone understands it's a business, etc., etc. - but this has crossed the line into something different.

Holdout this is one thing, it's another thing of holdout when you can have 14 million in one year and that the steelers had offered 70 million and 33 million guaranteed

I have no problem he refuses this contract, but his lack of respect is another thing ...

The really dumb part of this is, he literally cannot gain any money at all by holding out. As in, prohibited from negotiating a new contract until after the season. There was no point to it other than to be a jerk.

Obviously, the point now is to get the tag revoked and secure his free agency. His agent probably loves that the players are unhappy with him, kind of leaves the team over a barrel and forces them to think about ways to move him.

Personally - if he signs the deal, use the two-week roster exemption to avoid paying him, deactivate him without pay for the following four weeks for not being ready (the max you are allowed to by league rule), then see if anyone will trade for him. Or if he doesn't sign, pull the offer the week before the trade deadline if we can't find anyone - otherwise the day after it passes is when he'll sign it and collect what he can.

Maybe he solves the whole thing for us by failing another drug test; one can always dream.

[Steeldude]

Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

[BlackAndGold]

Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

He won't be getting paid at all since he has not signed his tag. He loses money every game he holds out.

[polamalubeast]

Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

I don't think that the steelers can do it.

[AtlantaDan]

Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

Not for not signing the tag earlier. The league assumed nobody could afford to not sign until week 10 in order to get a year vested to hit free agency but the CBA provides for that.

He won't be getting paid at all since he has not signed his tag. He loses money every game he holds out.

It's arguably game theory - by reducing the chance of an injury by playing fewer games and reducing wear and tear he will increase the chance of getting a bigger free agency contract that makes up for the lost paychecks

Or it could just be a my **** is bigger than yours contest at this point for Bell in order to keep it real

[DesertSteel]

Dang... where are all the posters who say the players understand and support him???

Ramon Foster on Bell: “He’s making 7 times what I make twice as much as Al (Villanueva) is making and we’re the guys who do it for him.”

[Dwinsgames]

eyeofthestorm ( Craig ) is quite the guy ... he is currently scrambling for a size 52 Conner jersey before Sunday as he will be at the Cleveland game ...

- - - Updated - - -

[tube517]

Defensive captain chimes in now.

[Mojouw]

... But I thought in any contract dispute, the players immediately closed ranks and backed their comrade to the hilt?

Right and now this has gotten beyond the normal course of things. Until he misses games, it largely doesn't matter. We will see. Right now everything is hypothetical and based on rumor and speculation.

To be clear, since it appears Bell is going to miss at least one game - I totally agree and understand why players no longer are in his corner. The Twitter comments all over the internet sum it up nicely. I would speculate that if he had made his stance clear from the beginning that he isn't coming in until X or Y or whatever -- the anger and resentment that he has now created among his teammates wouldn't have happened. For instance in the Donald holdout and the Mack holdout the past two seasons, both players were clear on what the conditions of their holdout were and when they would come in. Bell has now moved the goalposts at the 11th hour.

[steelreserve]

Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

I believe you are allowed to deactivate a player without pay for up to four games if you deem he is not game-ready. After that, the reasoning goes, enough time should have passed for you to decide to activate him or make a roster move.

[Fire Goodell]

Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

The team can suspend him but not without pay. That wouldn't help the team though, better to trade him than get into a d*ck measuring contest

[AtlantaDan]

Right and now this has gotten beyond the normal course of things. Until he misses games, it largely doesn't matter. We will see. Right now everything is hypothetical and based on rumor and speculation.

Created by the agent who lit the match and then poured gas on the fire today with his comments

[polamalubeast]

[Mojouw]

Created by the agent who lit the match and then poured gas on the fire today with his comments

I think his agent is a moron.

I also think that Colbert and the Steelers grossly underestimated the amount of guaranteed money that teams were going to start handing out due to projected cap increases over the remaining portion of the current CBA. Again, I am not arguing that they should have changed their final offer to Bell prior to the cessation of negotiations this off-season, but $10 million as the only guaranteed cash was seemingly low at the time and is now comically low. Bell and his agent are seemingly stuck on that issue and refuse to budge. From a business point of view, their argument makes some sense. From a PR point of view, they are cutting their nose off to spite their face.

[86WARD]

I bet the Steelers are already shopping him. It will be 50/50 if he ever plays another snap for the Steelers if he is not in camp this week.

They can’t shop him unless he sign the tender before Oct 30