Le’Veon Bell: ‘I will sit out the whole year before I play on the tag’
Le’Veon Bell took to Twitter Saturday to voice his frustration with his current franchise tag situation.
Le’Veon Bell started his Saturday morning on Twitter, claiming he’ll sit out the entire year before he plays on the franchise tag. Could this be an April Fools prank?
ppl can say literally whatever they wanna say...but idc, I will LITERALLY sit out the WHOLE YEAR before I decide to play on the tag!
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) April 1, 2017
Anybody who follows Bell on Twitter knows he’s not one to keep his thoughts inside. Two weeks ago he gave a piece of his mind to UCLA basketball star Lonzo Ball’s dad, on his statement that he could beat Michael Jordan one-on-one. So this could actually be true, right?
NFL players have hated the franchise tag for years now. Just last year Broncos star defensive lineman and Super Bowl 50 MVP, Von Miller was slapped with the franchise tag coming off a huge season. If Miller were to hit free agency after the 2015 season, he would have been the highest-paid defensive lineman. After threatening to sit out, Miller got paid.
Bell is coming off of a really good season despite the fact he had to sit out the first three games due to missing a mandatory drug test. Bell ran for 1,268 yard off 261 attempts, scoring seven touchdowns. He ranked fifth in rushing last season, but the four running backs ahead of him all played at least 15 games, Bell only played 12.
The numbers don’t lie; Bell is an excellent running back and very deserving of a long-term deal. So why are the Steelers not making the long-term commitment if they know he’s a star? This could have something to do with the giant re-signing on wide receiver Antonio Brown, who signed a five-year deal worth $73 million.
Some fans may call Bell selfish for this, but others will back him up on saying he’s just trying to get what he deserves. If Bell could play a full 16 game season he could probably be the number one back in the league. So is Bell really willing to sit out the whole season? Or is he just trying to play an April fools joke on the Steelers?