Pittsburgh Steelers: Brown’s comments mean nothing, Bell still isn’t showing up

Le’Veon Bell isn’t coming to camp this summer, no matter what Pittsburgh Steelers player tells him to.

You aren’t really expecting Le’Veon Bell to show up to OTA’s, right? Or minicamp? Or training camp? Or the preseason? Right?

Good, you shouldn’t be. Bell isn’t concerned with the thoughts of his teammates or coaches. No matter what anyone says, the running back isn’t showing up until he gets his money, and he isn’t getting his money.

Bell has made is perfectly clear he has no intentions of showing up this summer. That means no matter what anyone says, Antonio Brown included, he’s not putting on a helmet before the Steelers’ first regular season game.

This isn’t the first time a teammate of authority expressed their wish for Bell to attend summer camp. Last offseason, Ben Roethlisberger was the one asking Bell to show up just to continue working. 

Did he show up? No. Because even his quarterback wasn’t enough to overcome the immense gap between him and the organization – money.

Bell wants a contract, and rightfully so. It’s been two years, he’s the NFL’s best running back, and the entire team knows they aren’t replacing him anytime soon. After reports before the draft came out that it wasn’t a difference in dollar amounts holding Pittsburgh back, people began to question what it is.

Some believed they were looking at options in the draft. Well, unless Jaylen Samuels is the calling card this team has been waiting for, there isn’t a reason to not sign Bell this offseason, anymore.

We’ve moved past the point of being upset with Bell for not participating. He now has a legitimate reason to not attend camps, and no one should be forcing him to.

But on the same hand, no one should expect anything when players tell the media they want him there. Yes, the entire team would love to see their star running back on the field all summer, but they all understand why he’s not.

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He’ll be there Week 1, but unless he gets what he deserves, he’s not coming beforehand. It’s the same as last year. Don’t expect anything different because a new player is asking for his presence.