WHAT THE BELL
Le’Veon says he’s been drug tested five times already and won’t take a sixth
MANISH MEHTA, PAGE 50-51
Le’Veon Bell’s frustration spilled off the field Wednesday when he voiced his disgust at being targeted by NFL drug testers. The Jets veteran running back, who has twice been suspended for substance abuse violations of the league’s drug policy, announced on Twitter that he will refuse another blood test after already taking five in the first 10 weeks of the season.
“I done had 5 ‘random’ HGH blood test in 10 weeks…@NFL,” Bell tweeted. “I’m not doing another after today, whatever y’all lookin for it obviously ain’t there & I’m not about to keep allowing y’all to stick me with those dirty ass needles.. find the play- ers who really do that HGH BS & get off me.”
Bell later expounded on his annoyance after practice by maintaining that he won’t take another blood test this year.
“I’m just saying I’m not doing it no more,” Bell said. “They’re not getting no more of my blood. They better use the blood they got right now.”
Bell would be subject to league suspension by refusing to take more tests if required.
“If we got to cross that bridge when we get there, I’ll cross it,” Bell said.
The NFL doesn’t actually administer the testing, according to a league spokesman. The Players Association and league collectively bargained the policy that is conducted by a jointly appointed administrator, per the policy guidelines. According to policy, a total of 40 players across the league (five players from eight teams) are randomly selected via a computer program.
“Is it random, though?” Bell said. “I feel like every time they’re here doing HGH testing, I get picked.”
It’s fair for anyone in his position to question the legitimacy of the process given that the odds are minuscule that one player would randomly get chosen five times in 10 weeks.
“I don’t like needles,” Bell said. “I understand I’ve got to do it for my job or whatever. The first time we do it, I’m like, ‘OK, the test is over. I’m done with the needles.’ They do it again and I’m like, ‘Okay, I get it. They did it twice, I can do it twice.’ But now it’s three, four, five times. Now it’s getting weird. It’s getting weird now. Like, why do they need this much of my blood? What are they looking for?”
Although the NFL drug testing policy details that players can be subjected to as many as six blood tests each year, the powers that be can administer more tests if a player is “in reasonable cause testing.” Those players are subject to a maximum of 24 urine and/or blood tests per year, per the collectively bargained policy guidelines.
Bell must be the unluckiest guy in the NFL. However, threatening not to take future tests isn’t a sound tactic. If anyone knows that it, it’s Bell, who was suspended for the first three games of the 2016 season after missing three tests in nine months. He was also suspended for two games in 2015 after a DUI arrest that included admitting to police that he smoked marijuana.
Bell missed portions of practice on consecutive days during his first training camp with the Jets to get urine tests. (All players are tested once from April 20-August 9). Bell missed the bulk of the offseason program, which evidently prompted the league to administer the tests in camp.
“He’s never said anything to me,” Adam Gase said Wednesday about whether Bell voiced his displeasure about the process. “It’s something’s that’s out of our control.”
When Gase was told that Bell threatened not to take another test, the coach said, “Great. Well, it’s out of our control. That’s just kind of part of the process.”
Gase is right. That likely won’t change Bell’s belief that he’s unfairly being singled out now. The player admitted that has no issue submitting urine tests. The needles required for blood testing are a different story.
“I can drop all day,” Bell said. “If they want me to pee in a cup, I can do that all day. I just don’t want needles. You can keep that away from me. I don’t want nothing to do with needles.”
“I understand they want to make sure everybody is playing fair and everybody is doing the right thing,” Bell added. “But there’s a certain fine line… I just feel like for 10 weeks, I got tested five times and they’re not finding anything. I’m clean.”
The blood testing is just another element to this nightmarish season for Bell, who is on pace for the worst statistical season of his career. The three-time Pro Bowler is averaging a career-low 3.2 yards per carry for the 31st ranked rush offense. Bell, who’s been banged up with knee/ankle/rib issues in recent weeks, hasn’t topped 70 yards on the ground in any game.
The Jets were looking to dump Bell’s four-year, $52.5 million contract before the trade deadline a few weeks ago, but couldn’t find any takers willing to absorb the remaining money.
Bell, who sat out all last season due to a contract impasse with the Steelers, wasn’t amenable to take a pay cut to play for another team. Gang Green will explore moving Bell once again this offseason, but they will almost certainly have to be willing to pay part of his 2020 salary to have a realistic chance of trading him.
It’s been a rough season on the field for one of the game’s most versatile weapons.
Is he being targeted by the powers that be? Or is he just the unluckiest player in the NFL?