Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell was expected to get a third opinion on his injured groin as of a few weeks ago, and it’s still unknown whether or not he’ll ultimately need surgery.
During his Thursday meeting with the local media, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert addressed the health of Bell and indicated that “no decision has been made” if the running back will have surgery to repair what he called a sports hernia, according to Missi Matthews of steelers.com.
Bell, who reportedly suffered his groin injury during the playoffs, had previously said during the week of the Super Bowl that he had already consulted two different doctors about his injury and while one suggested he get surgery, the other advised him against it.
Bell, who will likely receive the franchise tag from the Steelers over the course of the next two weeks if a contract extension isn’t agreed upon in the meantime, has the full confidence of the team that he will no longer be an off-the-field issue moving forward after missing five regular season games over the course of the last two years due to multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.
“We have no reservations about Le’Veon, not his durability, not his ability,” Colbert said Thursday, according to Mike Prisuta of DVE Radio. “He’s grown tremendously off the field.”
Should Bell ultimately receive the franchise tag from the Steelers, it sounds like Colbert is fairly confident that the team can get him signed to an extension prior to the July 15 deadline as he indicated Thursday the hope is that the running back will ultimately retire with Pittsburgh.
