This isn’t your dad’s Steelers anymore.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone through a dramatic off season that has seen two of its best players, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, leave via trade and free agency.
Apparently, the common denominator in both player departures is the QB that has been left behind…Ben Roethlisberger.
Speaking to Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated, Le’Veon Bell details the reasons that led to his 2018 season hold out and his eventual signing with the New York Jets, leaving the Steel City behind.
The insane workload, the Steelers not valuing Bell playing through injuries in the playoffs, and the team’s unwillingness to give Bell $1 million more to earn $15 million a season are all reasons Bell gave for his leaving.
It appears, though, that Roethlisberger is the lynch pin to Bell’s departure and how the organization treated the QB differently from Bell and his Steelers teammates.
Bell said,
“Quarterbacks are leaders; it is what it is… [But] you’re still a teammate at the end of the day. You’re not [General Manager] Kevin Colbert. You’re not [team president Art] Rooney.”
In addition to Bell saying that he and Roethlisberger didn’t “vibe“, he says that the QB wanted to win his way and that his personal preferences dictated who would get opportunities on the offense.
Bell saying further,
“…he’s [Roethlisberger] at this stage where he tries to control everything, and [the team] let him get there.”
And,
“So if I’m mad at a player and I’m not throwing him the ball—if I’m not throwing A.B. the ball and I’m giving JuJu [Smith-Schuster] all the shine or Jesse [James] or Vance [McDonald] or whoever it is, and you know consciously you’re making your other receiver mad but you don’t care—it’s hard to win that way.”
Bell’s words appear to confirm what new Raiders WR Antonio Brown said on Twitter recently that the QB has an,
‘Owner mentality.’
Never forget Steelers GM Kevin Colbert’s ’52 kids’ comments which further confirmed both Bell and Brown’s feelings toward Roethlisberger and the organization.
Bell ultimately won out though by getting $25 million guaranteed from the Jets and a fresh start saying,
“I wanted to be happy. I wanted to do what I felt was right and move forward. And now I’m here. And I wouldn’t think twice about changing it.”
Meanwhile Steelers fans are left to ponder if Big Ben is the real reason behind the Steel City breakup and not the departed Brown and now Le’Veon Bell.
Flip the page to watch Bell’s full conversation with Sports Illustrated.