At some point during the offseason, we’re expecting to hear that Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will be suspended for the first two games of the 2015 season after being charged with a DUI and possession of marijuana last August. Now, according to a Sunday evening report by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Bell could be suspended for up to four games.
“The new substance-abuse policy makes a two-game suspension the standard penalty for a DUI arising from alcohol use,” writes Florio. “For violations of the law involving other substances of abuse, a first offense exposes the player to a suspension of “up to four” games.”
While I certainly see where Florio is coming from, I will be surprised if Bell is suspended for more than two games. This, of course, assumes that Bell stays on the straight and narrow for the rest of the offseason.
A four game suspension just doesn’t seem to fit the crime, but nothing should ever be shocking when it comes to the way Roger Goodell tries to handle things.
Bell received 15 months of probation and a 60-day license suspension back in February when he was accepted into an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders.
Regardless, the Steelers should be prepared for the worst as they’re almost certain to be without Bell for the first two games of the season. They would be wise to kick the tires of several veteran free agent running backs over the course of the next month in addition to possibly drafting another ball-carrier.
