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Le'Veon Andrew Bell Sr. ( ; born February 18, 1992) is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
running back who is a free agent. He played college football at
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
and was drafted 48th overall by the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
in the second round of the
2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He has also played for the New York Jets,
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...
,
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
, and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
. After a rookie season where he ran for over 800 yards, Bell broke out in his second season with the Steelers, totaling over 2,200 combined yards and made the
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
. Bell missed several games in the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to drug-related suspensions and injuries, but still put up solid numbers and was voted to the NFL Top 100 both times. In 2017, he had a league-high 321 carries for 1,291 yards, as well as 85 catches for 655 yards, and made the third Pro Bowl of his career. The next year, Bell refused to sign the franchise tag placed upon him by the Steelers, resulting in him sitting out the entire 2018 season. He signed with the New York Jets the following off-season, but never regained his old level of success, and following less than two seasons, he was released by the Jets. Following his release, Bell signed with the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...
where he finished the 2020 season.


Early life and high school

Bell was born on February 18, 1992, in
Reynoldsburg, Ohio Reynoldsburg is a city in Fairfield, Franklin, and Licking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburban community in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. The population was 41,076 at the 2020 census. History Reynoldsburg was originall ...
, later attending
Groveport Madison High School Groveport-Madison High School is a high school in Groveport, Ohio, United States. The school's mascot is the Cruiser, a horse tamed by John Solomon Rarey. Cruiser Football The current coach for the 2021-2022 season is Mitch Westcamp. Eastla ...
in Groveport, Ohio, where he played football, basketball, and ran track. He played running back for the Groveport Cruisers football team. As a sophomore, Bell ran for 789 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. As a junior, Bell ran for 1,100 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, and as a senior, Bell ran for 1,333 yards on 200 carries with 21 touchdowns. He was selected first-team All-Ohio Capital Conference Ohio Division as a senior. In
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, Bell earned second-team All-OCC Ohio Division honors as a junior. He also participated in track & field while at Groveport, where he ran the 100 and 200-meter dashes and was one of the state's top performers in the high jump (personal-best of 6 feet and 8 inches or 2.03 meters). Considered a two-star recruit by
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, Bell was listed as the No. 211 running back in the nation in 2010. Although he was a three-year starter in high school, Bell had limited scholarship offers from
Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
, Marshall, and
Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
, but he hoped to attend
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
. Bell's high school principal, Donis Toler Jr., believed he was under-recruited and reached out to Michigan State's head coach
Mark Dantonio Mark Justin Dantonio (born March 9, 1956) is a former American football coach and player. He most recently served as the head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he had held from 2007 to 2019, presiding over one of the most ...
. Although Dantonio had heard of Bell, they had never scouted him personally or had thought of offering him a scholarship. With football season over, Dantonio sent his running back's coach to scout Bell at his high school basketball game. After he finished his senior football season, he finally received a scholarship offer from
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
after some players got into trouble and Michigan State had open scholarships available with a need at running back. In 2010, he graduated from high school early and began attending Michigan State that spring semester.


College career

Bell enrolled in Michigan State University, where he played for the Michigan State Spartans football team from 2010 to 2012 under head coach
Mark Dantonio Mark Justin Dantonio (born March 9, 1956) is a former American football coach and player. He most recently served as the head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he had held from 2007 to 2019, presiding over one of the most ...
.


2010 season

Bell was an immediate contributor to the Spartans in their 11–2 campaign, which at the time was the most wins in a single season in school history. He made his collegiate debut in the Spartans' season opener against Western Michigan. In the 38–14 victory, he had 10 carries for 141 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Two weeks later, against Notre Dame, he had 17 carries for 114 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 34–31 victory. On September 25, against
Northern Colorado Northern Colorado is the name for a region in the state of Colorado and a proposed state in the northeastern portion of Colorado. Region Northern Colorado is a region in the northern portion of Colorado. It borders northwestern Colorado, nort ...
, he had 11 carries for 92 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 45–7 victory. Overall, he appeared in 13 games, rushing for 605 yards on 107 carries with eight rushing touchdowns. He also added 97 yards on 11 receptions and returned six kickoffs for 142 yards. In total, he had 844 all-purpose yards. He received All Big-Ten Freshman honors from ESPN.com and
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.


2011 season

As a sophomore, Bell's role increased for the Spartans in their 11–3 season. He started the 2011 season with nine carries for 40 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 28–6 victory over Youngstown State. On September 24, against
Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan corre ...
, he had eight carries for 81 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 45–7 victory. On November 5, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, he had 165 all-purpose yards (96 rushing, 38 receiving, and 31 kickoff return yards) and two total touchdowns in the 31–24 victory. On November 12, against the Iowa Hawkeyes, he had 161 yards of total offense and a rushing touchdown in the 37–21 victory. In the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin, he had 18 carries for 106 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 42–39 loss. Against #18
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
in the
2012 Outback Bowl The 2012 Outback Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on January 2, 2012, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, as part of the 2011–12 NCAA Bowl season. It was the 26th edition of the Outback Bowl, and was tel ...
, Bell rushed for 48 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns and had five receptions for 39 yards in Michigan State's 33–30 2OT victory. Bell's second touchdown came very late in the fourth quarter and allowed the Spartans to force overtime. Bell led the Spartans in rushing with 948 yards on 182 carries and 13 touchdowns.


2012 season

As a junior, Bell got a majority of the carries in the backfield for the Spartans in their 7–6 season. He started the season with 44 carries for 210 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with six receptions for 55 receiving yards in a 17–13 victory over
Boise State Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a pub ...
. Against
Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
on September 22, Bell ran for a career-high 253 yards on 36 carries in the 23–7 victory to earn the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Award. On October 6, against Indiana, he had 37 carries for 121 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 31–27 victory. In the following week's game against Iowa, he had 29 carries for 140 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 19–16 loss. On November 3, against Nebraska, he had 36 carries for 188 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 28–24 loss. Two weeks later, against Northwestern, he had 32 carries for 133 rushing yards in the 23–20 loss. On November 24, against Minnesota, he had 35 carries for 266 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 26–10 victory. In the
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl The Guaranteed Rate Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989. Played as the Copper Bowl from inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 through 2001, then ...
, against TCU, he had 32 carries for 145 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 17–16 victory. He earned Offensive MVP honors for the bowl game. Bell finished the season with 382 carries for 1,793 rushing yards, which was the second most in the Big Ten Conference, and 12 rushing touchdowns. His 1,793 rushing yards ranked second in school history for a single season, trailing only Lorenzo White's 2,066 rushing yards in the 1985 season. He was voted to the First-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media, ESPN.com, ''
College Football News ''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis include ...
'', and
Phil Steele Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, prod ...
. He won the George Alderton Award, which is given to the top male athlete at Michigan State. After his junior season in 2012, Bell decided to forgo his senior season and entered the
2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
.


College statistics


Professional career

Coming out of Michigan State, Bell was projected by the majority of analysts to be a second or third round selection. He was ranked as the fifth best running back by NFLDraftScout.com and ranked the best overall running back by NFL analyst
Bucky Brooks William Eldridge "Bucky" Brooks Jr. (born January 22, 1971) is a sportswriter and former professional American football player. He played for five National Football League (NFL) teams in a five-year career, primarily as a kick returner. Brooks i ...
. He received an invitation to the
NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...
and participated in all workouts and positional drills. Bell was satisfied with his combine performance and only performed positional drills at Michigan State's Pro Day. Bell,
Dion Sims Dion Sims (born February 18, 1991) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State. Early years Sims was born in Detroit, Mich ...
,
William Gholston William Gholston (born July 31, 1991) is an American football defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State, and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the fourth round o ...
,
Johnny Adams Laten John Adams Jr. (January 5, 1932 – September 14, 1998), was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto. His bigg ...
, and five other Michigan State prospects worked out in front of scouts and representatives from 29 NFL teams. The only head coach that attended was Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach
Mike Tomlin Michael Pettaway Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led the team to ten playoff runs, se ...
. Scouts considered Bell a big bruising back with quick feet and lower body strength and also gave him positive reviews for his ability to run north-south, for his strong cuts, and nice bursts through holes. The only negative reviews were based on his limited ball-carrier vision, inconsistent blocking, and his height that would possibly affect his speed and ability to dodge tacklers.


Pittsburgh Steelers

The
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
selected Bell in the second round with the 48th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was the second running back to be selected that year, only behind
Giovani Bernard Giovani Govan Bernard (born November 22, 1991) is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina, and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in t ...
(37th overall, Bengals).


2013 season

On June 3, 2013, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Bell to a four-year, $4.12 million rookie contract that included $2.27 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.37 million. Bell entered training camp competing with veteran Isaac Redman for the Steelers' starting running back position. In his second preseason game against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
, Bell was tackled on a running play and suffered a mid-foot sprain. His injury did not require surgery, but forced him to miss the first three weeks of the regular season. On September 29, Bell appeared in his first NFL game at Wembley Stadium in London and rushed for 57 yards on 16 carries and a season-high two rushing touchdowns while also catching four receptions for 27 yards in a 34–27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. His first professional touchdown came on an eight-yard run in the first quarter of the game. The Steelers chose to release Isaac Redman on October 21. On November 28, Bell had 16 carries for 73 yards and ran for a season-long 43-yard touchdown, while also racking up a season-high seven catches for 63-yards during a 22–20 road loss to the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in Week 13. During a Week 16 road matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Bell had a season-high 26 carries for 124 yards and a rushing touchdown in the 38–31 victory. For his Week 16 performance, Bell earned the Joe Greene Great Performance Award and the Pepsi Next NFL Rookie of the Week nomination. On December 29, in a Week 17 game against division rival
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
, Bell broke Steelers legend Franco Harris's rookie record for total yards from scrimmage with 1,259 yards. Bell finished his rookie season with 244 carries, 860 rushing yards, and eight rushing touchdowns to go along with 45 receptions for 399 yards. He started the last 13 games of the season. He became the first rookie to lead the team in rushing since Tim Worley in 1989. Among rookies, he finished third in rushing yards and second in rushing touchdowns.


2014 season

Bell began his second season as a starter in the season opener against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
and finished the game with 21 carries, 109 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and six receptions for 88 yards in a 30–27 home victory. On September 21, in Week 3, Bell and LeGarrette Blount both rushed for over 100 yards each against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
. He finished the 37–19 road victory with 21 carries for 147 rushing yards, including a career long 81 yard run. On October 20, Bell had eight catches for 88 yards and made his first NFL receiving touchdown in a 30–23 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 7. Bell became the first running back in Steelers' history to have seven consecutive games with 100 yards from scrimmage. He had his most productive rushing game of the season in Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans, gaining 204 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on a season-high 33 carries in the 27–24 victory. On November 30, Bell had a season-high eight receptions for 159 receiving yards while also accounting for 21 carries, 95 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown in a 35–32 loss to the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
in Week 13. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his effort against the Saints. The next game, he rushed 26 times for 185 yards and made six catches for 50 yards while scoring three total touchdowns in a 42–21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14. Bell tied
Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American football running back who played ...
's NFL record of three consecutive games with at least 200 yards from scrimmage after his performance against the Bengals. In Week 15, he had 20 carries for 47 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with five receptions for 72 receiving yards in the 27–20 victory over the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. On December 28, Bell was injured against the Bengals in the Week 17 regular season finale when he hyperextended his knee while being tackled by safety Reggie Nelson. He was ruled out against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in the Wild Card Round of the 2014 playoffs. Bell broke out in the 2014 season, going from rookie to All-Pro, finishing second in rushing yards, yards from scrimmage, and all-purpose yards to Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray. He led all running backs in receiving yards and yards per reception. He finished the season averaging 4.7 rushing
yards per carry In gridiron football, a carry or rushing attempt is a statistical term equivalent to a single rushing play. The term is typically used in reference to "yards per carry", meaning yards per attempt rushing the ball. Although running backs are typica ...
(YPC), up from 3.5 YPC in 2013. Bell finished his first complete regular season with a career-high 290 carries, 1,361 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 83 receptions, 854 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. Bell's 2,215 yards from scrimmage set a new single season franchise record, breaking Barry Foster's 2,034 in 1992. He earned FedEx Ground Player of the Week twice, once in Week 3 and once in Week 11. In addition, he was named FedEx Ground Player of the Year. He finished fourth in AP Offensive Player of the Year Voting. He was named to the Pro Bowl and was ranked 16th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.


2015 season

After being arrested with then-teammate LeGarrette Blount on DUI and marijuana possession charges in August 2014, Bell was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2015 regular season. On April 9, 2015, it was reported that the suspension was reduced to three games. On July 28, Bell's suspension was reduced from three games to two following a successful appeal. Bell made his 2015 debut against the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...
in Week 3 on September 27, 2015. He finished the game with 19 carries for 62 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season, while also accounting for seven catches for 70 receiving yards. The following week, he had 22 rushing attempts for a season-high 129 yards and a touchdown in a 23–20 loss to the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
. On October 12, Bell had 21 rushes for 111 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of regulation after taking a direct snap from the wildcat formation, helping the Steelers defeat the San Diego Chargers by a score of 24–20. During a Week 6 matchup with the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...
, Bell rushed a season-high 24 times and finished the 25–13 victory with 88 rushing yards. On November 1, Bell suffered a season-ending torn MCL during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals, after being tackled by linebacker
Vontaze Burfict Vontaze DeLeon Burfict Jr. ( ; born September 24, 1990) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. A first-team All-American at Arizona S ...
. The following day, the Steelers placed him on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. Bell finished the 2015 season with a total of 113 rushing attempts for 556 rushing yards and three touchdowns and 24 receptions for 136 receiving yards in six starts. On November 6, it was reported by NFL Network analyst
Jason La Canfora Jason La Canfora (born April 14, 1974) is an American sportswriter, radio host, and television sports analyst. Career Television La Canfora joined NFL Network and NFL.com before the 2009 season and served as an NFL insider and reporter until ...
that Bell had undergone successful surgery to repair the damage to his MCL/PCL. Despite the injury, he was ranked 41st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.


2016 season

On August 19, 2016, Bell was officially suspended for the first three games of the 2016 regular season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He stated in an apology on Twitter that the suspension was due to a missed random drug test in December. The original suspension was four games, but was reduced to three on appeal and as a part of a settlement between the league and the NFL Player's Association. Bell played in his first game of the season on October 2 and recorded 18 carries for 144 rushing yards to go along with five receptions for 34 receiving yards in a 43–14 victory over the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...
. In a Week 7 matchup against the New England Patriots, Bell caught a career-high 10 passes for 68 receiving yards and had 21 carries for 81 rushing yards in a 27–16 loss. On November 13, Bell had 17 carries for 57 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season during a 30–35 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
in Week 10. In addition, he accounted for nine receptions for 77 receiving yards and caught his first receiving touchdown of the season. The next game, he had 28 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown during a 24–9 victory over the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
in Week 11. On December 11, against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. T ...
, Bell broke the Steelers franchise record for rushing yards in a game with 236 rushing yards on a career-high 38 carries while scoring three touchdowns. The previous record was set by
Willie Parker William Everett Parker Jr. (born November 11, 1980) is an American former football running back who played for six seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for North Carolina, he ...
when he rushed for 223 yards in 2006. Bell was named as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Bills. He was named to his second Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016 and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. Bell finished the 2016 regular season with 261 carries for 1,268 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, while also recording 75 catches for 616 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. He had a career-high four fumbles and lost only one. He recorded at least 100 yards from scrimmage in 11 of the 12 games he played in. Despite missing four games, he finished third in the NFL with 1,884 yards from scrimmage. On January 8, 2017, Bell started in his first NFL playoff game and finished with 29 carries for a playoff franchise-record 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 30–12 victory over the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Round. His first career playoff touchdown came on a one-yard run in the second quarter and he also caught two passes for seven yards. The next week, he broke his own team playoff record with 170 rushing yards on 30 carries in an 18–16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. As the first NFL player to rush over 150 yards in his first two playoff games, he also set a record for most rushing yards in a player's first two playoff games, became one of four players to ever rush for 150+ yards in back to back playoff games, and one of three players with two 160+ yard playoff games in a career. However, he suffered a groin injury late in the game, which grew unmanageable during the AFC Championship loss to the New England Patriots, and he was forced to leave in the second quarter. He finished tied for sixth in the AP Offensive Player of the Year Voting. Bell was ranked #9 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.


2017 season

On February 27, 2017, the Steelers placed the franchise tag on Bell. On September 24, Bell had six receptions for 37 receiving yards, 15 carries for 61 rushing yards, and scored his first touchdown of the season on a one-yard run as the Steelers lost to the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
by a score of 23–17. The following week, he had a season-high 35 carries for 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns during the Pittsburgh Steelers 26–9 victory over the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
. In Week 6, Bell rushed for 179 yards on 32 carries in a 19–13 win over the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...
, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 7, against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 35 carries for 134 rushing yards in the 29–14 victory. In Week 12, against the Green Bay Packers, he had 20 carries for 95 rushing yards and 88 receiving yards on a career-high 12 receptions. During Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13, Bell recorded 182 total yards of offense, with 106 receiving yards, 76 rushing yards, and a touchdown as the Steelers won 23–20. In Week 14, against the Baltimore Ravens, he had 13 carries for 48 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 39–38 victory. On December 19, Bell was named to his third Pro Bowl. Bell was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. In addition, he was also named as a First-team All-Pro for the second time in his career. The Steelers secured a second round bye for the playoffs after going 13–3 in the regular season. Overall, he finished the 2017 season with a league-high 321 carries for 1,291 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns to go along with 85 receptions for 655 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He was ranked fifth by his peers on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018 The NFL Top 100 Players of 2018 was the eighth season in the series. It ended with reigning NFL MVP Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the Na ...
. On January 11, 2018, Bell said that if the Steelers franchise tagged him again, he would definitely consider sitting out for the year or retiring from the NFL. In
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh c ...
, Bell reportedly turned down a two-year deal worth $30 million. Bell said he was not concerned about making the most money possible, but instead wanted to be paid in relation with his value to the team, reportedly saying, "I just want to be valued where I'm at" and "Just get the numbers straight, exactly where we want them. I'm not going to settle for anything. I know what I do and what I bring to the table. I'm not going out here getting the ball 400 times if I'm not getting what I feel I'm valued at." After news broke across the internet, Bell tweeted: "I’m trying to win a super bowl...I can care less about what happens after this season...my biggest thing I’m focused on is this team I’m on right now, playing for/with my brothers, & bringing back a 7th ring! what happens next year is irrelevant to my goals". On January 14, Bell sent a tweet before playing in the AFC Divisional Round against the Jacksonville Jaguars saying "I love round 2’s...we’ll have two round 2’s in back to back weeks...", referring to their rematch against the Jaguars, along with a possible rematch against the Patriots. The Steelers ended up losing to the Jaguars in a high scoring 45–42 affair in which Bell carried the ball 16 times and had 67 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with nine receptions for 88 yards and a receiving touchdown.


2018 season

On March 6, 2018, the Steelers placed the franchise tag on Bell for the second straight year worth $14.5 million. Bell refused to sign the franchise tag and did not attend any team activities after contract negotiations stalled on July 16. Bell missed the first nine regular season games, and then did not report to the Steelers prior to the NFL's November 13 deadline to sign his franchise tender, therefore making him ineligible to play in the
2018 NFL season The 2018 NFL season was the 99th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 53rd of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 6, 2018, with the NFL Kickoff Game with defending Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia defeating ...
. On February 20, 2019, the Steelers announced that they would not use the franchise tag on Bell, making him a free agent at the start of the new official NFL year on March 13.


New York Jets


2019 season

On March 13, 2019, Bell signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the New York Jets with $35 million guaranteed, making him the second highest paid running back in the NFL. After holding out for the preseason, Bell played his first game with the Jets on September 8, 2019, against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. T ...
where Bell rushed 17 times for 60 rushing yards and caught six passes for 32 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown as the Jets lost 17–16. Dealing with shoulder soreness, Bell played in Week 2 against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
on ''Monday Night Football'', where he finished with 68 rushing yards and a lost fumble as the Jets lost 23–3. In Week 6 against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
, Bell rushed 14 times for 50 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the season in the 24–22 win. In Week 16 against his former team, the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
, Bell rushed 25 times for 72 yards and caught four passes for 21 yards during the 16–10 win. Overall, in the 2019 season, Bell recorded 789 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 66 receptions for 461 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.


2020 season

Bell entered the 2020 season as the Jets starting running back. In Week 1, he suffered a hamstring injury against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. T ...
and was placed on injured reserve on September 15, 2020. He was activated on October 10. In his return in Week 5 against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...
, Bell rushed for 60 yards and caught one pass for seven yards during the 30–10 loss. After the game, Bell liked a tweet suggesting that the Jets should trade him. When asked about the social media interaction, Jets' head coach
Adam Gase Adam Joseph Gase (born March 29, 1978) is a former American football coach in the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos from 2013 to 2014, whose offense set the NFL record for p ...
said that "I hate that's the route that we go with all of this instead of just talking to me about it, but it is the way guys want to do it nowadays." Bell was released by the Jets on October 13 after the team failed to find a trade partner.


Kansas City Chiefs

On October 17, 2020, Bell signed a one-year contract with the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...
. In Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Bell rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown during the 35–31 win. This was Bell's first touchdown as a Chief. Overall, Bell finished the 2020 regular season with 82 carries for 328 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 16 receptions for 138 receiving yards.


Baltimore Ravens

On September 7, 2021, Bell was signed by the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
to their practice squad. He was activated for Week 4 against Denver Broncos and for Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers, scoring his first touchdown of the season in the latter game. He was signed to the active roster on October 19, 2021. He was released on November 16, 2021.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On December 22, 2021, Bell signed with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, reuniting with former
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
teammates
Antonio Brown Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988), nicknamed "AB", is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent, and an American rapper. Raised in Liberty City, Miami, Brown attended Miami Norland High School. He played college fo ...
, Ross Cockrell, and
Steve McLendon Stephen Craine McLendon (born January 3, 1986) is an American football nose tackle who is a free agent. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Troy. Professional career Pitt ...
. He played in three total games for the Buccaneers and caught a touchdown from Tom Brady in Week 18 against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
. He was released on January 22, 2022.


Playing style

Bell is known for his unconventional running style. While not the fastest runner, he is still considered elusive due to his patience in waiting for his blockers to create running lanes before suddenly accelerating for a big gain, despite coaches and analysts advising running backs to "hit a hole with authority". CBS sportscaster
Phil Simms Phillip Martin Simms (born November 3, 1955) is an American former football quarterback who spent his entire 15-year professional career playing for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He is currently a television sport ...
has nicknamed Bell the "Great Hesitator".


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Playoffs


NFL records

* First NFL player to rush over 150 yards in his first two playoff games * Most rushing yards in a player's first two playoff games: 337


Steelers franchise records

* Most rushing yards per game: 86.1 * Most receptions by a running back: 307 * Most receptions by a running back in a season: 85 (2017) * Most receiving yards by a running back in a season: 854 (2014) * Most receiving yards in a single game by a running back: 159 (November 30, 2014, against the New Orleans Saints) * Most scrimmage yards in a season: 2,215 (2014) * Most rushing yards in a game: 236 (December 11, 2016, against the Buffalo Bills) * Most rushing yards in a playoff game: 170 (January 15, 2017, in the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs) * Most games with at least 200 rushing yards: 2 (tied with Willie Parker)


Television and film career

In 2022, Bell competed in season eight of '' The Masked Singer'' as "Milkshake". He was eliminated on "90s Night" alongside
Joey Lawrence Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr. (born April 20, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and game show host. He got his start as a child star in the early 1980s and is best known for his role as Joey Russo in ''Blo ...
as "Walrus".


Personal life

Bell was born February 18, 1992, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, to Lisa A. Bell. His mother and grandfather have been lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Throughout his childhood, his mother raised Bell and his siblings by herself and struggled financially. Bell has two older sisters and two younger brothers, both of whom also play football. He cites his high school principal, Donis Toler Jr., and his mother as the two people responsible for helping him achieve his success. Toler was a father figure in Bell's life and helped him get noticed by Michigan State. He has numerous tattoos including two scriptures. He has Jeremiah 1:5 on his left arm with a picture of his mother embracing him after Michigan State suffered a loss in the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
Championship. Bell also has John 3:16 on his left arm, along with "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." On August 20, 2014, Bell was driving with his then-Steelers teammate LeGarrette Blount and Bell's girlfriend at the time, Mercedes Dollson, when he was pulled over by the police. The officer searched the car after he claimed to notice the smell of marijuana. The search yielded 20 grams of marijuana, and the three were arrested for marijuana possession. Bell was sentenced to 15 months of probation, a 60-day suspension of his driver's license, DUI education classes, and $2,400 in court costs. In May 2020, Bell partnered with professional ''Super Smash Bros.'' player Juan "
Hungrybox Juan Manuel DeBiedma (; born June 21, 1993), better known by his alias Hungrybox, is an Argentine-American professional '' Super Smash Bros.'' player and streamer. Recognized as one of the best and most successful ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' pl ...
" DeBiedma and esports organization
Team Liquid Team Liquid is a multi-regional professional esports organization based in the Netherlands that was founded in 2000. With the release of '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'', Team Liquid signed their first professional players. In 2012, Team L ...
to create an online ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeedi ...
'' tournament, The Box. At 8,192 participants, it was the largest ''Super Smash Bros.'' tournament of all time. Bell had an overall record of 7–2, finishing just before the round of 256. He used Mega Man throughout the tournament.


Musical career

Bell, going by the stage name "Juice", started his music career with a 16-song album released via
SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
on March 27, 2017. On May 27, 2018, Bell released a single titled "Target" responding to critics in regards to his contract dispute with the Steelers among other things. He followed up "Target" with a four-song project titled "My Side of Things" telling his side of the story regarding his second straight contract hold out with the Steelers. On March 13, 2019, Bell released an album called "Life is a Gamble".


Boxing career

Bell has expressed interest in boxing as an alternative career. In December 2021, before the Buccaneers signed him, Bell had planned to retire from the NFL to pursue a professional boxing career. He tweeted a challenge to Jake Paul, accusing him of fighting "small dudes who can't box". In July 2022, Bell announced that he would sit out the
2022 NFL season The 2022 NFL season is the 103rd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 8, 2022, with the defending Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams falling to Buffalo in the NFL Kickoff Game, and will end on Jan ...
to pursue boxing, starting with an exhibition match against fellow NFL veteran
Adrian Peterson Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set th ...
. The fight was originally scheduled for July 31 at the
Crypto.com Arena Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...
in Los Angeles, but was postponed after AnEsonGib, a fighter in the card's main event, had medical issues. On September 10, at
Banc of California Stadium Banc of California Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC and the National Women's Soccer League's Angel City FC. Opened o ...
, Bell defeated Peterson in a fifth-round technical knockout after knocking Peterson down and Peterson being unable to continue. On October 29, 2022, Bell boxed Uriah Hall on the undercard of
Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva was a professional boxing match contested between Jake Paul and Anderson Silva. The bout took place on October 29, 2022, at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona and ended with a Paul win. The fight sold 300 ...
at the
Desert Diamond Arena Desert Diamond Arena (originally Glendale Arena and formerly Jobing.com Arena and Gila River Arena) is an indoor multi-purpose entertainment arena located in Glendale, Arizona. The venue anchors the 223-acre, $1 billion Westgate Entertainment D ...
in
Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the late 1800s the area that is now Glendale was all deser ...
, losing by unanimous decision. This was the professional boxing debut of both fighters.


Boxing record


Professional


Exhibition


References


External links

*
Michigan State Spartans bio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Leveon 1992 births Living people African-American players of American football American Conference Pro Bowl players American football running backs African-American male rappers Michigan State Spartans football players New York Jets players Kansas City Chiefs players Baltimore Ravens players People from Reynoldsburg, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Pittsburgh Steelers players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players 21st-century American rappers Rappers from Ohio Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians Tampa Bay Buccaneers players