Le’Veon Bell’s decision to go bowling on Saturday a day before sitting out a game due to the flu did not sit well with New York Jets coach Adam Gase, but the running back says he has a perfectly good reason he did what he did.
Bell said Wednesday that he’d lost 10 pounds as a result of his illness, and when doctors told him to stay active, he decided to do so by heading to a bowling alley.
who did it better? in all seriousness, doctors sent me home all week & told me I couldn’t play on saturday. I lost 10 lbs! I was told to try and stay active, so I went with some family & bowled a 251… off the flu! they don’t call me a Pro Bowler for no reason pic.twitter.com/yaCxXwb7id
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) December 11, 2019
Bell’s reasoning may be valid, but even if it is, he has to understand the optics problem. If you’re not healthy enough to play in a game, fans aren’t really going to buy that you’re healthy enough to be going out bowling. Gase will likely stand by his frustration with Bell and argue that perhaps he should have found some way to stay physically active at home.
Bell has been a disappointment for the Jets, with just 992 all-purpose yards in 2019. Those numbers, plus incidents like these, have helped fuel rumors that the Jets may look to get rid of him after the season.
