Le'Veon Bell suspension cut from three games to two after settlement with NFL
Wednesday 29 July 2015 08:36, UK
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell has had his three-game suspension reduced to two by the NFL after the league and the NFL Players Association came to a settlement on Tuesday.
Bell was suspended in April for his August 2014 arrest on DUI and marijuana possession charges.
The 23-year-old and then-team-mate LeGarrette Blount were arrested while driving to the airport for a preseason game.
Bell - who ran for 1,361 yards and 8 TDs for the Steelers in 2014 - appealed the suspension, saying that he had been prosecuted under the league's old drug laws. An arbitrator agreed.
"As I have stated before, we were disappointed in Le'Veon Bell's actions last August," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement Tuesday.
"Le'Veon made a mistake and now he must learn from his mistake and focus on eliminating distractions from his life. We look forward to continuing to work with Le'Veon to try to help him reach his full potential as a person and as a player."
Blount, who now plays for the New England Patriots, was charged with misdemeanour marijuana possession and has been suspended for the first game of the 2015 season, which is against the Steelers.
Bell, who remains eligible to take part in training camp and preseason games, will also miss the Steelers’ Week 2 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, before returning against the St Louis Rams on September 27.
Pittsburgh signed veteran running back DeAngelo Williams – formerly of the Carolina Panthers – in free agency and he will be expected to carry the load in Bell’s absence.
