The star player can’t stand the thought of missing the opener, so he’s hoping for leniency from the NFL.
No, not the guy who more probably than not took the air out of footballs, the guy who most definitely put smoke into a football player on his way to the airport.
During an appearance on ESPN, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell said he hoped his three-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for a marijuana arrest would be dismissed.
“I did everything that they needed me to do, and I did it quick,” Bell said, via Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “So eventually that’s going to be off my record. Obviously, like I said, I still have to do my time that they gave me, but if [the league] were to look into that and all the community service that I did and the classes that I had to take in eventually getting it off my record, that should be something that maybe they consider and help me knock off some time.”
Bell was arrested in August for DUI and possession of marijuana, after hilariously telling cops: “I smoked two hours ago. I’m not high anymore.” Former teammate LeGarrette Blount was also cited for possession, and he too will miss the opener since he plays for the Patriots now.
Bell was given 15 months probation and entered into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders, but he also didn’t sound like a guy who vowed never to touch weed again.
“Marijuana is not an important thing for me,” Bell said. “It’s something I easily can set by. If I wanted to do it later on down my life, I’ll enjoy it later on. It’s something that got me in trouble. Football is what I love. I love the game of football and nothing will come to jeopardize that.”
While his handling of the case has been expeditious, expecting to see his fellow passenger on the field in Week One’s probably not going to happen.