Bell appeals suspension handed down by league
Steelers All-Pro halfback Le’Veon Bell has appealed a threegame suspension that the NFL has issued him for the 2015 season.
The NFL not only levied the three-game suspension without pay, but also docked him a fourth week of salary, the NFL Players Association confirmed Thursday to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The league did not announce the discipline and a spokesman said there would be nothing on the matter, most likely because it is under appeal. Steelers officials had no comment for that same reason.
Bell was charged with marijuana possession and driving under the influence Aug. 20 in Ross, hours before he was to board the Steelers charter jet for an
exhibition game in Philadelphia. Former Steelers halfback LeGarrette Blount, a passenger in the car, was charged with marijuana possession, received a one-game suspension and was docked another week’s pay from the NFL because of it.
“Le’Veon was charged with a DUI — two-game suspension; and possession of marijuana — one-game suspension and one-game fine,” NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis told the Post-Gazette. “LeGarrette was not the driver, so [he was] only charged with possession — one-game suspension and one-game fine.”
The NFL adopted a new drug policy in September. Under the previous policy, a DUI drew no penalty for a first-time offender. Now it automatically comes with a twogame suspension. The new policy stipulates that a player who tests for a lower amount of marijuana use will not be suspended. But possession of marijuana can trigger a suspension of up to four games.
Attorney Adisa Bakari, Bell’s agent, did not return messages. His Washington D.C. law firm of Kelley Drye & Warren is handling the appeals case with the NFL.
In February, Bell, then 22, was admitted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders of nonviolent crimes. Charges can be dismissed and expunged if the defendant fulfills certain requirements.
The 15-month probationary program requires Bell to abstain from drugs and alcohol, complete any recommended treatment, pay a $100 fee and court costs, and complete a safe-driving class.
The NFL, however, does not recognize whether his legal record is wiped clean, but that he pleaded to a DUI and possession.
When it announced the new drug policy in September, the NFL informed player agents, according to USA Today, that they had until Nov. 1 to complete any pending plea bargains or cases in order for them to fall under the previous drug policy.
Bell’s ARD acceptance did not come until February as the local wheels of justice took precedence over any NFL deadline. His attorneys could make the point that he was in the process of settling his case, but that there was not enough time to do so before Nov. 1.
The Steelers expected Bell to receive a two-game suspension, which is why, in part, they signed veteran halfback DeAngelo Williams as a free agent.
Preseason takes shape
The NFL announced its preseason schedule. After their first game Aug. 9 against Minnesota in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, the Steelers will play, in order: at Buffalo, Green Bay at home, at Jacksonville and close at home against Carolina. Dates and times of the final four games will be announced later.
DeCastro contract update
The Steelers exercised the fifth-year option on guard David DeCastro’s contract, which will pay him $8.07 million in 2016 if they do not sign him to a new contract before then.