Getty Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell
It seems that a few members of the Pittsburgh Steelers are more than a bit fed up with how running back Le’Veon Bell has handled his holdout. After missing the entire offseason and three days of Week 1 preparation, a few specific players are seemingly tired of it and they didn’t hold back their feelings on the topic.
Specifically, offensive lineman Ramon Foster ripped into Bell for his decision, as Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed.
More 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.”
Foster wasn’t the only one, either. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler quoted center Maurkice Pouncey stating that “it’s bigger than business.”
Steelers players coming out much stronger on Bell, taking his absence personally. “It’s bigger than business,” M. Pouncey said. Some players felt he played ‘peek-a-boo’ by not committing to absence earlier.
Talk about dropping the hammer on Bell over the holdout. Foster, who’s been with the team since 2009, apparently isn’t interested in hearing about how his teammate doesn’t think he’s paid enough.
As Spotrac shows, Foster currently is playing under a three-year, $9.6 million deal. To go along with that, Alejandro Villanueva (who Foster mentions) is coming off a Pro Bowl season and playing on a four-year, $24 million deal. Both players, along with Pouncey are key members of the Steelers offensive line and obviously, play a role in Bell’s on-field success.
Earlier in the day Wednesday, Eddie Borsilli of SiriusXM NFL Radio revealed that after speaking to Bell’s agent, it doesn’t seem the running back will be reporting in the near future. As things currently stand, it’s beginning to look more and more likely that James Conner may be the lead back for the Steelers in Week 1.