Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is facing a two-game suspension in relation to his August arrest for marijuana possession, according to a report by ESPN’s John Clayton.
Bell was stopped in his black Chevrolet Camaro on August 20 in Ross Township along with his former teammate, LeGarrette Blount. Bell was charged with possession of marijuana and driving under the influence. He has entered the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program and will undergo 15 months of probation and lose his driving license for 60 days.
In addition to his legal punishment, Bell is subject to discipline under the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert told the media in his Wednesday press conference that the Steelers must be prepared for Bell to be suspended.
It now appears that they will be without their star running back for the first two games of the 2015 season, according to Clayton’s report, which was filed late Wednesday afternoon.
The Steelers badly missed Bell in their wild card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens in January. In his second season, he lead the Steelers with 1361 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He was also voted to the Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.
Without Bell, the Steelers relied on undrafted rookie Josh Harris and veteran Ben Tate, who was signed off the street at the end of the season. Harris is under contract for one more season. Tate is an unrestricted free agent.
Blount was released by the Steelers after leaving the field early during a November 17 game at Tennessee. He signed on with the New England Patriots and finished his season with 40 yards on 14 carries as the Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49. He is also subject to league discipline for his arrest on marijuana possession charges.
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