Le’Veon Bell, former star running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, recently sat down with the No Jumper Podcast in early March, discussing his relationship with Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his time spent with the Steelers.
The Steelers drafted Bell in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft (48th overall) and since his phone call on draft day, Bell always enjoyed representing the Steel City. “Coach, you have no idea, I’m so ready to be a Steeler,” said Bell while reflecting back on the day he was drafted. “My parents were Pittsburgh Steelers fans my whole life,” he added.
Beginning in his rookie year, Bell was one of the more dominant running backs in the NFL, finishing in the top three in total yards from scrimmage in 2014, 2016 and 2017, on his way to what seemed like a sure-fire Hall of Fame induction. Playing alongside Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, deemed the “Killer B’s,” the three dominated the league with their gaudy stats through the running and passing game. Unfortunately, those stats never translated to rings; managing only three playoff wins during their time together, and making it as far as the 2016 AFC Championship Game, only to lose to the New England Patriots.
Brown, now a free agent, has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, most recently in his outburst with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season when he stormed off the field during the game.
Antonio Brown ran off the field shirtless after showing some frustration on the sidelines.@JenHale504 pic.twitter.com/Jet6ofnNm2
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 2, 2022
"I feel like he's a guy who's really misunderstood. Yeah, he has some moments, but I feel like overall, he's a great person and a great father," said Bell. "I feel like I'm so misunderstood in a lot of aspects," he adds.
What may continue to stick with Steeler Nation in regards to Bell’s legacy in Pittsburgh was his holdout in 2018 when he desired a large contract. The two sides never could come to an agreement, which ultimately led to his release the following year.
Steelers' HC Mike Tomlin to @diannaESPN on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown regarding the Le'Veon Bell situation: “We need volunteers, not hostages.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 4, 2018
Tomlin is known to be a wordsmith so the candor during Bell’s holdout seemed to insinuate a tarnished relationship between the two. When Bell was asked about Tomlin in the interview, he had nothing but good things to say.
“Coach Tomlin is probably the realest coach I’ve ever been around,” said Bell. “People like him so much because he’s not afraid for people not to like him.” He is more of a guy, like, he’s on you, but it’s not like to the point where it becomes uncomfortable to come up to him and approach him,” Bell adds.“Coach Tomlin was always the kind of guy where he’s fair and a great coach and who deserves everything he gets. There’s nothing bad I can say about Coach T.”
Bell, currently a free agent, spent the years after his release in stints with the New York Jets, Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
You can listen to the entire interview below:
Let us know what you think in the comments, below!
