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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is facing a four-game suspension for missing a drug test, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano. There was talk of a missed or failed drug test in June, but Bell denied those rumors the same day.
It looks like there was some truth to them and Bell will be suspended for the second time in his professional career. Bell was suspended for the first three games of the 2015 season due to a marijuana-related arrest. That suspension was eventually reduced to two games following an appeal from Bell.
Bell is subject to the same appeals process again in 2016. He later posted on his private Instagram account that he was confident he'd win his appeal.
"I am not going to miss games, trust me," Bell wrote. "I'm gonna win the appeal...ppl have no idea what happened but don't worry...let em hate. When I end up missin no games at all, ppl for sure gonna try to love me again and I'm only ridin with my LOYAL fans!!"
The young running back has already missed a lot of time in his short career. Bell played in all 14 games in 2014, but missed a combined 13 games over the course of his other two seasons in the league. He sat for the first three weeks of his rookie season due to a foot sprain, and a torn MCL last season led to him being placed on injured reserve.
A first-team All-Pro back in 2014, Bell is an integral part of the Pittsburgh offense. He’s one of the top running backs in the league when he’s playing and on his game, and any missed time is huge for Pittsburgh. Bell is 24 years old and in 35 career games has 2,777 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, with a per-carry average of 4.3 yards. He also has 1,389 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
DeAngelo Williams served as Bell's backup last season and looked good doing it. The first-year Steeler and 10-year NFL veteran managed 907 yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 games with the Steelers last season. With Bell set to miss more time, Williams will once again be a featured back in Pittsburgh's offense.
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