Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell confessed that before playing games, smoking marijuana was a ritual for him as it helped him perform best.
While doing a podcast, Bell shared about his past experience with marijuana and its impact on his performance. Talking about his career, Bell said that he would smoke marijuana even before games and still achieve impressive results, running for significant yardage and scoring touchdowns.
Throughout Bell’s playing days, the law and the NFL had stricter regulations regarding marijuana use, leading to multiple disciplinary issues for the former player. During 2014, Bell faced legal difficulty as he was arrested for marijuana possession in Pittsburgh and subsequently received probation. Bell faced problems with the NFL’s drug testing policy, missing several tests and being required to submit urine samples frequently. Le’Veon Bell, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets, confessed to using marijuana before some NFL games throughout his career.
Bell took a long stand on his marijuana use during an interview with Barstool Sports’ “Steel Here” podcast, emphasizing that it occurred during his time in the NFL. Bell responded affirmatively to the question regarding smoking marijuana in the NFL, even though he hasn’t played in the league since the 2021 season. During his time with the Steelers, Bell faced two suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, impacting his professional journey.
Learning All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections at the beginning of his career at Pittsburgh in 2013, Bell established himself as one of the league’s most productive players. During 2018, Bell sat out the entire season due to a contract dispute with the Steelers, declining to sign the franchise tag placed on him for a second consecutive year. Bell has raised issues regarding the lack of guarantees beyond the first year and expressed frustration with the Steelers’ contract negotiations.
Aside from the dispute, Bell had a successful NFL career, earning All-Pro recognition twice during his five-year tenure with the Steelers. Meanwhile, while with the Steelers, Bell played for the Jets and later had brief stints with the Chiefs, Ravens, and Buccaneers, but his impact was not as notable.
Bell’s experience with the Jets was disappointing, and he criticized coach Adam Gase, referring to him as a “terrible” play caller. He suggested that the team’s struggles were due to poor coaching and expressed his belief that, under Coach Mike Tomlin’s guidance, they could have achieved better results. During his career, Bell accumulated impressive statistics, rushing for over 6,500 yards and scoring 42 touchdowns while also contributing significantly as a pass catcher.
