Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Le'Veon Bell looks on during the first half of a playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 14, 2018.
On Saturday former Pittsburgh Steelers/New York Jets/Kansas City Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell took to Instagram to announce that he’ll “never play for Andy Reid again,” insisting that he would “retire first.”
On Sunday night Bell attempted to clarify his statement about Reid, kicking off a Twitter rant by indicating:
1) he doesn’t regret what he said, and
2) he has a “PERSONAL problem” with the Chiefs head coach “because of what HE SAID to me.”
I said what I said & I don’t regret at all what I said…for those who have a PERSONAL PROBLEM with me because of what I SAID, that’s fine…you have your right! just understand I ALSO have MY RIGHT for how I feel about MY PERSONAL problem with dude because of what HE SAID to me
The latest Steelers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Steelers newsletter here!
Bell doesn’t explain exactly what it is that Reid said.
“I’m not about to get all into depth on why I feel the way I do,” Bell offered in a subsequent tweet (see below), but one can imagine that Reid told him something to the effect of: You aren’t the same player you used to be.
That’s a sentiment that must be hard for the two-time first-team All-Pro to hear, but one that has become ever more apparent since Bell last played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017.
Le’Veon Bell Issues a (Very) Limited Apology
Bell did go on to say that he wishes he hadn’t expressed how he feels on social media …
I’m not about to get all into depth on why I feel the way I do, but I have my right to feel the way I feel…the ONLY thing I would change is commenting how i really felt on social media…
… before going on to re-emphasize that he doesn’t regret what he said, “because that’s how I feel.”
I’ll admit that’s somethin I could’ve and should’ve kept to myself & I apologize about that and that only… but I don’t regret what I said, because that’s how I feel…
An Olive Branch to All Things Kansas City (Except Andy Reid)
Perhaps not wanting to piss off Kansas City Chiefs fans (and K.C. residents) any more than he already has, Bell went on to tweet about how he loved his time in K.C. and that it was “probably the closest locker room full of players I ever been around…. I enjoyed my teammates, the city, food, the fans, just about everything in KC….” (Except Andy Reid, presumably.)
Last but not least, he went on to insist that the brouhaha that erupted in the wake of his initial Andy Reid comment won’t have much effect on him personally.
so you can love me or hate me, I’m gonna be fine regardless … I’m just giving you a small version from my point of view on why I said what I said …
But it’s not going to make it any easier for him to get another job in the NFL, not after his mostly underwhelming performance in a Kansas City uniform.
Bell carried the ball 64 times for 254 yards and also contributed 13 catches for 99 yards during the nine games he played for the Chiefs. One can make a good case that his team’s offensive line was greatly compromised by injuries towards the end of last season. On the other hand, he was playing alongside some of the top skill position players in the league and was not a focus of opposing defenders.
Tellingly, when starting running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was injured during the latter part of last year, Bell wasn’t always Reid’s first option, as Darrel Williams, a promising former undrafted free agent out of LSU, often got playing time ahead of him.
Meanwhile, there haven’t been any rumors connecting Bell with even a single NFL team since he became an unrestricted free agent in mid-March.
Follow the Heavy on Steelers Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Also Read:
• Ron Rivera Admits Taking ‘Wrong Approach’ with Dwayne Haskins