Pittsburgh Steelers locker room turns on holdout Le’Veon Bell

THE best running back in the NFL won’t play this weekend as he continues to hold out for more money, and his teammates have had enough.

LE’VEON Bell’s holdout is getting old fast in the Steelers’ locker room.

The star running back was ripped by his teammates after Wednesday’s practice, to which Bell was a no-show again as he tries to bargain for a long-term contract instead of signing a $20 (USD$14.5) million franchise tag.

“What do you do? Here’s a guy who doesn’t give a damn, I guess so we’ll treat it as such,” guard Ramon Foster said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I just hate it came to this.

“He’s making seven times what I make, twice as much as [left tackle Al Villanueva] is making and we’re the guys who do it for him.”

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Le'Veon Bell #26 of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Picture: Getty Images

Bell has not stepped foot in the Steelers’ facilities in almost eight months. The team appeared hopeful he would report this week — as he did last year to end his holdout when Week 1 began — but with Sunday’s (Monday morning AEST) opener against the Browns looming, his support appears to be losing steam.

Bell’s agent, Adisa Bakari, told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday morning that Bell will “get there when he’s there.”

Lose/lose situation for the Steelers. LeVeon Bell will want to be there for his team when he does show up, but his long term career goals as a player will be on his mind all year. Independent contractor mentality. Not what you're looking for from one of your best players.

— Tedy Bruschi (@TedyBruschiESPN) September 5, 2018

From a business perspective, I can’t fault Leveon Bell for holding out longer. The team wasn’t willing to commit to him long term, has the sole intention of riding him to the wheels fall off & now the Steelers are using the league’s network to shape the narrative in the media.

— Tank Williams (@TankWilliams13) September 5, 2018

100% think @LeVeonBell should get paid. Also 100% think it’s impossible for LeVeon to have his best season to date if he’s not on the team. So, um, LeVeon will you please play this week? You promised. 🙏 https://t.co/Y5UpIzGfnS

— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) September 5, 2018

Bakari said he wanted to know what GM Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin’s plan would be for Bell this year.

“That’s just stupid,” centre Maurkice Pouncey said, according to NFL Network. “You can’t play football like that.

“Why play hide and seek? Why let your agent say this? Just man up and tell us what you’re going to do.”

The sudden heel-turn on Bell appears co-ordinated. A veteran Steeler told ESPN they waited to criticise Bell after he did not report Monday, giving him a chance to come in Wednesday. But when he still didn’t show up, their patience ran out.

“He f — ked us,” the player said.

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This article originally appeared on The New York Post

Originally published as Pittsburgh Steelers locker room turns on holdout Le’Veon Bell