Steelers' Le'Veon Bell Was Infuriated By The Way Chiefs' Andy Reid Betrayed Him

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Le'Veon Bell had displayed a change of heart during 2023. He has recently been telling anyone who will listen that he is sorry for his exit from Pittsburgh and sad that he let down the fans who supported him. Now he is also saying that a Super Bowl winning coach, Andy Reid, misled him, and that contributed to his difficulty finding somewhere he belonged.  

During his six seasons with the Steelers, Bell was selected to three Pro Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro. He became the unstoppable backbone of the Steelers offense, forming the Killer B's with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and receiver Antonio Brown.  

Bell became disillusioned during his last few seasons in Pittsburgh, feeling that he wasn't being paid commensurate with his value. He said he felt he waited patiently for the team to make it up to him financially and it did not happen. He now realizes that the Steelers were the team that was being straight with him, while one of his other teams may not have been. 

Steelers' Le'Veon Bell Said That He Feels That Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Misled Him

Recently, Bell appeared on the podcast It Is What It Is and talked about leaving the Steelers and acknowledged some of the mistakes he made with other teams. He was asked about turning down $14 million in Pittsburgh and how he ended up seemingly making less with the New York Jets the following season, which ultimately led to him going to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

When the Steelers were not willing to negotiate with him further or attempt to meet him halfway, he felt disrespected. The Jets were willing to give him guaranteed money and he chose financial security. He said he just wanted to get to New York and show what he could do. Unfortunately, he quickly realized that it wouldn't be that easy. 

"I realize when I'm there, damn this ain't the environment I want to be in. This ain't the Steelers."

Bell felt like he had no choice but to move on from the Jets. In hindsight, he realizes he was chasing something that takes time to build, you can't just recreate the magic he had in Pittsburgh overnight. That's why he was so excited when the Chiefs were interested in having him. 

"The Chiefs was a great environment, great team, but they weren't the guys for me either. Because I wasn't 'their guy.' Like with Pittsburgh, when I was coming out of college, they was like, 'Yeah, Le'Veon Bell from Michigan State, we are going to grab him - that's our guy,' versus in Kansas City, they had their guy already."

But once again, he felt like he didn't click in Kansas City, they were using him incorrectly and it wasn't working. Bell said he was so upset because he had been fantasizing about playing with Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce and playing for Reid. But things did not work out the way he imagined.  

"I felt like in the recruiting process, I was talking to Andy Reid and all the other coaches and I just felt like I was betrayed when I got there. When I was getting recruited, I was promised a lot of things. 'Right now I'm drawing up plays for you, right now as we speak,' while we were on FaceTime, showing me the board and the plays."

He said Coach Reid was filling his head full of promises about all of the things they were going to be able to do offensively when he arrived. Part of the attraction for Bell was the fact that Reid is a more offensive-minded coach and he said he had not played for a coach like that before.  

"That was the opportunity for me to go play with Andy Reid, on top of that, the [Buffalo] Bills is talking to me, the [Miami] Dolphins is talking to me. I'm just thinking Andy Reid trumps all of that. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, all that s**t trumps that. Plus he's showing me all the things they're about to do with me and the ways they're about to use me, so I'm foaming at the mouth."

There is no other way to describe it said Bell. He said Reid told him one thing, but did another. Bell felt that he had already been labeled a "diva" as he was leaving Pittsburgh and the Jets, he didn't want people to feel that way about him, so he just kept his mouth shut. It only added insult to injury that Bell saw ways he could help the team.

"I'm just like alright, whatever, even though I am watching film and watching these running backs miss holes and I see how the Chiefs can be way better."

Bell knows that he did not do himself any favors by hopping from team to team searching for the elusive unicorn. He now recognizes that he really should have stayed in any of the cities and rode it out for a few years. In hindsight, he is able to see that he went from team to team hoping to find what Reid had promised, but after his trust had been broken, he struggled to buy in. 

What did you think when Bell left Pittsburgh? Does he have a right to be angry at Reid? Click to comment below. 

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