Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s patience with Le’Veon Bell might officially have run out.
Bell hasn’t taken a single snap all season, and is in the middle of a tense holdout. Apparently, Tomlin is not in a massive hurry to get him back.
“We need volunteers, not hostages,” Tomlin told ESPN’s Dianna Russini Sunday when discussing if the team needs Bell back. (RELATED: Pittsburgh Steelers Superstar Reportedly Makes Decision If He Will Return To The Team)
Mike Tomlin on if the Steelers need Le’Veon Bell: “We need volunteers, not hostages,” per @diannaESPN pic.twitter.com/dVjCv4dxvs
— Bleacher Report NFL (@BR_NFL) November 4, 2018
That’s about as direct of a shot as you can possibly take without blatantly looking into a camera and flipping it off. As many coaches will say, if you don’t want to be here, then we don’t want you here. It’s pretty much the same thing Tomlin said, but he did it in a much cooler way.
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I thought Bell would be back after a couple weeks, but he has a serious problem on his hands right now. Backup running back James Conner has been lighting it up in Bell’s absence. He has more than 700 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
Frankly, the Steelers might not need Bell back to win games at this point. He might be nothing more than a distraction. If I’m in Steelers leadership, I might be fine telling him to get lost with a record of 5-2-1.
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There’s a very high chance this holdout will backfire big time for Bell by the end of the season.