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Le'Veon Bell is among the Pittsburgh Steelers most productive running backs of all time, joining a list that includes multiple Hall of Famers. But as an observer of how his former teams do business, Bell put himself in the Hall of Shame on Thursday.
Bell, who played for the Steelers from 2013-17, saw his former team trade cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys overnight after a contract dispute and decided it was all about race.
Because Porter is Black.
No, seriously.
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"I wish Pittsburgh paid their black superstars they drafted just like they pay their white ones they draft," Bell posted on X on Thursday afternoon.
" ... hate to see porter get traded .. I thought same thing with [George] pickens? TJ Watt is worth every penny tho, so let's not get it confused .. but something needs to change."
Now, Bell has said some wild stuff in the past. But someone needs to jar Bell's memory and adjust his grasp of facts to get him off this race-baiting narrative.
Bell, you see, is not an honest broker. He was drafted in the second round by the Steelers in 2013 and after three 1,000-yard-plus seasons, the Steelers tried to pay him. A lot.
And that led to a contract dispute that ultimately ended his career in Pittsburgh. But before that happened, the Steelers offered to pay him $70 million on a five-year contract before the 2018 season.
That offer from eight years ago, before the NFL salary cap jumped seven times, would be competitive with most running back contracts today.
But Bell, who has admitted he came close to accepting the offer, ultimately turned it down based on his desire for greater guarantees.
Those details aren't primary. What matters is that Bell lived through a negotiation where he, as a Black Steelers draft pick, was offered a lucrative contract by the Steelers. And still on Thursday he's saying the Steelers don't pay their Black draft picks like they do their White ones.
The racist undertones of Bell's post also flies in the face of the fact that the Steelers, at the time of his offer, were coached by Mike Tomlin, who coached the team for 19 years until he stepped away this year.
Mike Tomlin is Black.
The team's general manager now is Omar Khan. He is a first-generation American of South Asian and Hispanic descent, with an Indian father and a Honduran mother.
And those are the people who only want to pay White players?
Pittsburgh's two-highest-paid players today are Watt and quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They are both White. But that has nothing to do with their pay because Watt is the team's best and most accomplished player and Rodgers is the quarterback who has earned the right to be highly-paid after winning four MVP awards ... and, did we mention he's the quarterback?
But Pittsburgh's next seven highest-paid players are Black. And Pittsburgh's next nine of 10 highest-paid players are Black.
The team has shown zero compunction about paying Black players.
Receiver DK Metcalf got a big contract from the Steelers. He's Black.
Defensive back Jalen Ramsey got a big contract extension from the Steelers. He's Black.
Linebacker Patrick Queen got a big contract from the Steelers. He's Black.
Receiver Michael Pittman has gotten two big contract extensions from the Steelers. He's Black.
Someone challenged Bell about these facts beneath his post. And the former running back, who may be suffering from too many blows to the head, shot back that none of those players were drafted by the Steelers.
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Except, running back Jaylen Warren got a big contract from the Steelers, as did defensive lineman Keeanu Benton, as did tight end Darnell Washington. All were drafted by the Steelers. All are Black.
All got paid.
And then there's defensive lineman Cam Heyward. He was drafted by the team in 2011, so he was there when Bell was on the team.
The Steelers renegotiated Heyward's rookie deal, rewarding him with more money before that initial contract expired. Then they paid him again in 2015, 2020, 2024 and before this season.
Cam Heyward is Black.
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