Le’Veon Bell sat out the entire 2018 season due to a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but one of his former teammates insists that did not result in the star running back having a strained relationship with him or other members of the team.
With the Steelers traveling to New York to face the Jets this weekend, veteran center Maurkice Pouncey was asked how Bell will be received by his former teammates. Pouncey said it will be all love.
#Steelers C Maurkice Pouncey on seeing former teammate and current #Jets RB Le’Veon Bell Sunday: “I guarantee you there will be 50 guys hugging him.”
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 20, 2019
Either Pouncey is putting on a front for the media, or enough time has passed where the Steelers no longer hold ill will toward Bell for basically abandoning them last season. If you remember, Pouncey was one of the players who ripped Bell for being selfish during his holdout. There were also rumors that Steelers players cleaned out Bell’s locker for him as a way of saying “good riddance.”
Players know the NFL is a business, so perhaps many of Bell’s former teammates have a better understanding of his situation now. Still, it’s hard to believe there is no one in the Pittsburgh locker room who is bitter toward him over the way things transpired.
