Ron Cook: Don’t let Le’Veon Bell’s foibles define his outstanding Steelers career

Tribune Content Agency

Late, great Hall of Famer Franco Harris was the best running back in Steelers history. As Art Rooney Sr. once said, “We never won before Franco got here. We never lost much after he did.”

Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis is No. 2 on that list. There have been few better team leaders in Steelers history. He willed his teammates on the road to a win in Super Bowl XL against Seattle.

And No. 3 during the Super Bowl era?

Le’Veon Bell.

Bell made news again last week when he appeared on the “Steel Here” podcast. His admission that he routinely smoked marijuana before games attracted the most attention. But he also said he was a “little petty” when he sat out the 2018 season after refusing to sign the Steelers’ franchise tag after turning down their long-term contract offer. He played in just 34 games after he left the Steelers, never doing much for the New York Jets, Kansas City, Baltimore or Tampa Bay. He didn’t play last season.

“I didn’t want to leave Pittsburgh because, at the end of the day, that’s where I was at,” Bell said. “That’s where I got drafted. Especially after going to different teams and seeing how it is, it’s like when the team has their guy, you’re their guy. I was Pittsburgh’s guy.

“Now, I see this thing like, bro, it was a little petty. … The guarantee stuff in the first time, I’m thinking, ‘Damn, could I really have just ate [the money]? Yeah, I probably could have.’ “

It really is unfortunate how Bell’s career ended here.

I’m convinced Bell might be the most underrated player in Steelers history because of it.

Bell was a two-time, first-team All-Pro. He was just as good a receiver as he was a runner. He had three of the four best total yards from scrimmage seasons in franchise history, including his record 2,215 yards in 2014 when he ran for 1,361 yards and caught 83 passes for 854 yards. He also set Steelers postseason records in consecutive games after the 2016 season when he ran for 167 yards on 29 carries against Miami and 170 yards on 30 carries against Kansas City. Those were the Steelers’ most recent playoff wins.

It’s true, Bell had a couple of major missteps here. He was suspended for the first two games of the 2015 season following his arrest for marijuana possession and a DUI in August 2014. He also was suspended for the first three games in 2016 after missing drug tests.

“When I was playing football, I smoked, bro,” Bell said on the podcast. “Even before the games, I’d smoke and I’d go out there and run for 150, two [touchdowns].”

It’s easy to believe that many of Bell’s teammates also were smoking marijuana. His crimes against NFL rules seem so much less severe now that 22 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of cannabis. All of the sports leagues have stopped testing for marijuana or have significantly lessened the punishment for its use.

Now, Bell says he wants to retire as a Steeler. He even said he wants to get a couple of carries in an exhibition game this summer “so I can show y’all.”

Those carries won’t happen, of course. But I hope the Steelers will honor his retirement request.

Like Bell said, he was “Pittsburgh’s guy.”

One of the great backs in Steelers history.