Running back Le’Veon Bell hasn’t been on the field with the Steelers all season, but he maintained a place in the locker room.
At least until Wednesday.
Via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Steelers players removed the want-away back’s name from over his locker, and are currently “plundering” it.
It’s not uncommon for players to leave gear there year-round, and for extra cleats and team-issued gear to pile up there.
But as players pick through the debris which will almost certainly never be used by Bell in Pittsburgh again, it’s more than just looting.
If you heard the comments from his offensive linemen earlier in the season, or coach Mike Tomlin yesterday (“So be it”), you know that many of them moved on long ago.
Now that his name’s no longer on the wall, and his belongings have been dispersed, he’s really gone.