Le’Veon Bell has not reported to camp and it is concerning for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers are a team and Bell is acting as an individual. It may seem that Bell is holding out to get a new contract, but that is not the case. The deadline to resign Le’Veon Bell was July 17th and now it is going into mid-august. He is holding out to protect himself and not help the team. This is too bad considering the Steelers were on the cusp of the Super Bowl last year and have kept the majority of their team intact this year.
Bell was dealing with an injury, but the Steelers would not play him if they thought he was at risk of re-injuring himself. He was not played heavily last preseason and if he was in camp this year the same would be true.
There is a risk of playing in the preseason, but at the same time there are important lessons to learn during camp. Training Camp is not just for players in the first four years of their career. There is an aspect of camp that asks the team to bond and develop as a team to get ready for the season.
There is still a risk that Le’Veon Bell could injure himself while training. I do credit him with staying in shape despite not signing his franchise tender. However, if he gets hurt without signing his franchise tender, the Steelers are not responsible for him because he is technically not under contract with the Steelers.
I think there is an aspect of this that Bell just doesn’t want to go to training camp. I think the Steelers have an interest in preserving him and that he would not be put at that much of an injury risk. There is always a risk in playing football. So, I have to side with the Steelers offensive line here and think that Bell owes it to the Steelers and the fans to be in camp.
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What do you think about the Le’Veon Bell holdout? Should the star running back be at training camp, or is he fine to miss the beginning as long as he reports by the season? Let us know in the comments below.