Le’Veon Bell may have skipped several drug tests

The news just keeps getting better and better regarding Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell and a missed drug test.

Actually, you may have to make that plural, as in several missed drug tests this offseason.

It was first reported on Friday that Bell was facing a four-game suspension to start the 2016 regular season due to a missed drug test. It is now being reported by various sources, including NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, that Bell skipped several mandatory drug tests this offseason.

While multiple missed tests apparently won’t lengthen any suspension for Bell, who came out and denied any skipped tests when rumors first surfaced in June, it further damages his credibility.

It would also ruin any chance of Bell winning an appeal.

Obviously, if this latest report is true, it’s probably safe to assume the reason Bell, 24, intentionally skipped these mandatory tests was because he was busy doing the thing that got him put into he NFL’s drug protocol in the first place: smoking pot.

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And if that’s the case, one has to wonder how much the Steelers can afford to rely on Bell in the future. Once Bell is officially suspended for the first month of the 2016 season, any subsequent failed or missed drug test will result in a season-long suspension, similar to the one third-year receiver Martavis Bryant will be serving this year.

For Bell, who had to serve a two-game suspension at the beginning of last season for another incident involving marijuana use in 2014, his latest demonstration of irresponsibility could be the final nail in his coffin as it pertains to a new contract with the team.

Sure, he’s talented, but his priorities are clearly not in the right place. How can the Steelers move forward with him as their featured back beyond this season, knowing he could wind up suspended for an entire year?

The Steelers may be able to navigate their way to a Super Bowl this year in-spite of Bell’s troubles. However, could anyone blame them if they decide he’s simply not worth the risk in 2017 and beyond?

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