Le’Veon Bell appeared to troll the Pittsburgh Steelers during the team’s Week 1 tie with the Cleveland Browns, but he says that was not the case.
Just around the time the Steelers tied with the Browns 21-21, Bell sent a tweet that contained a single emoji — the monocled emoji:
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) September 9, 2018
Many interpreted that as Bell’s way of pointing out what the team is missing by not having him. However, Bell says the tweet was not intended to be disrespect to the Steelers, but rather an indication of his amazement over seeing a game end in a tie.
no shade, just never witnessed a tie before… https://t.co/5xdKGlk1Hi
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) September 9, 2018
Bell has not reported to the Steelers yet because of a contract dispute. The team reportedly offered him a long-term deal during the offseason that he rejected, feeling it undervalued him. He was franchise-tagged by the Steelers but has not signed his tender. His agent has said it’s possible the running back does not report to the team until Week 10, as that would prevent Bell from being overused while still allowing him to be eligible for free agency next year.
The Steelers now reportedly are expecting to not have Bell for several games. Some of his teammates have already turned on him.
