Pittsburgh Steelers when he and
Le'Veon Bell were arrested Aug. 20 after police said they found about three-fourths of an ounce of marijuana in Bell's car during a traffic stop in Ross Township, a Pittsburgh suburb.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/09/report-leveon-bell-gets-three-game-ban/
Report: Le’Veon Bell gets three-game ban
Posted by Mike Wilkening on April 9, 2015
AP
The Steelers will begin the 2015 season without their top running back.
The NFL
has suspended Le’Veon Bell for three games without pay for violating its substance-abuse policy, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
Bell has appealed the ruling, ESPN reported. The tailback has also been docked a fourth game check by the league, per Schefter.
If the suspension holds, Bell can take part in preseason games and training camp before serving his ban away from the club.
Bell’s suspension stems from a DUI charge last summer. He was sentenced to probation, and the charge, along with a marijuana possession count, can be removed from his record if he completes 15 months of service. His former Steelers teammate,
LeGarrette Blount, has garnered a one-game suspension for the incident.
Bell was in line for at least a two-game suspension for his DUI plea, and he faced
up to a four-game ban, as PFT’s Mike Florio noted last month. The three-game suspension splits the difference. According to Florio, marijuana’s illegality in Pennsylvania accounts for the extra game added to the ban.
Losing Bell for any stretch is a major blow to the Steelers’ offense. The 23-year-old running back emerged as one of the game’s star dual threats at the position in 2014, racking up more than 2,000 rushing-receiving yards.
Ex-Panthers running back
DeAngelo Williams figures to have a bigger role with Bell out of the Pittsburgh lineup to begin next season.