Quote:it’s so hard to be a hero in a city that paints youu out to be the villain..

Quote:Let me start by saying I love Le’Veon Bell. Everything from his playing style, his dual threat capabilities and his hard-nosed style of play has made me a fan of his since he was drafted in 2013 in the second round.

At the same time, it doesn’t mean I am all too fond of his off-field behavior. Chalk up the DUI with LeGarrette Blount as a young man who made a really stupid decision. Fail to take your drug test the following year, for whatever reason, and you are on thin ice. Complain about a deal which seemed very fair before the 2017 season...and sit out the entire off-season and preseason.

Strike three.

Now, the talented running back is threatening to sit out all preseason activities again, if he and the Steelers can’t come to terms on a new contract and he has to play the 2018 season under the franchise tag. You would think he would be used to the vitriol which comes with such a decision, especially with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan base.

But I guess not...

Quote:To me — and everyone is obviously allowed to read into this however they’d like — him claiming the victim in this situation is almost laughable. I said this the other day when it was reported Bell wanted ‘Antonio Brown type money’, and I will say it again.

If you want paid like Brown, act like Brown.

All NFL franchises have a rabid fan base, but the Steelers would be among the largest. Throw in social media, and you have a direct connection with the fans who pay money to watch you play and wear your memorabilia. You think the city is painting you the villain? Why?

Because you are coming off as greedy as can be.

Come on, Le’Veon. Open up your eyes.

Most fans, and I sincerely mean this, are all for players getting what they deserve, and this rings true for Bell and his stance with the Steelers. But not showing an ounce of concern about the state of the team which is signing your checks is a bit outlandish.

What do I mean by this? Simple. Get what you deserve financially, but when it comes off that you don’t care for a second about the team’s financial state...this tends to rubs people the wrong way. You are putting your bank account ahead of the team, and that is what makes people angrier than anything.

Fans didn’t go nuts when Ben Roethlisberger or Antonio Brown wanted new contracts, and were eventually paid handsomely. Brown and Roethlisberger always showed up. They did their work and they showed the Rooney family the respect they wanted in return. Want a more recent example? Alejandro Villanueva was a starting left tackle making less than $1 million dollars a year. Did he skip OTAs or minicamp? Didn’t miss one. Did he hold out of training camp? He didn’t have to because the team gave him a new deal before the first team practice.

This is the disconnect Bell has with the fan base.

The Black-and-Gold faithful have seen example after example come through the 412 area code and work their tail off, be model citizens and get paid for it. Meanwhile, Bell talks of retirement and holding out in an effort to ‘reset the running back market’.

What do fans hear?

“Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.”

What about the team?

Bell thinks he is the villain? If he feels that way, he has no one to blame but himself.

(04-02-2018, 10:00 PM)TheUberHuber Wrote: Edit... on second thought, maybe he just sick of getting busted up by burfict and wants out of the north completely... this makes most sense...

(04-03-2018, 10:49 PM)StrictlyBiz Wrote: Lol, Burfict?

The same Burfict who is annually suspended for 1/4 of the season? The roid head Burfict? The same Burfict who was concussed by a 19 year old rookie and missed the last 1/4 of the season? That Burfict? LOLOLOLOL 

(04-03-2018, 10:49 PM)StrictlyBiz Wrote: Lol, Burfict?

The same Burfict who is annually suspended for 1/4 of the season? The roid head Burfict? The same Burfict who was concussed cheap shotted by a 19 year old rookie and missed the last 1/4 of the season? That Burfict? LOLOLOLOL 

(04-04-2018, 06:23 AM)ballsofsteel Wrote:

(04-12-2018, 10:04 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: Nice attempt to draw attention away from the fact that your star player is a ***** and unhappy.

(04-13-2018, 09:55 AM)JS-Steelerfan Wrote: Do you realize how many times Steeler fans have been through exactly that same scenario?

If this is a big deal for you, then have fun with that. But we've seen this movie before.

(04-13-2018, 12:27 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: No, I don’t.

How many times has your best player done something like this?

(04-13-2018, 03:54 PM)JS-Steelerfan Wrote: I think it's debatable whether he's the best player. I'd give that title to Brown. 

(04-12-2018, 10:04 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: Nice attempt to draw attention away from the fact that your star player is a ***** and unhappy.

(04-13-2018, 05:48 PM)ballsofsteel Wrote: Thanks Brad, I try my best.

(04-14-2018, 03:12 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: You're not very good at it.......  that was a lame attempt.  

(04-13-2018, 04:14 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: lol..... in typical Steelers fan fashion, way to avoid the question.

Ok, let’s play this game: how many times has one of your top two players (that could be debated as the best) done something like this?