Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell and the NFL are reportedly discussing a reduction of his three-game suspension, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. Graziano's report was corroborated shortly thereafter by Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. Per Cole, there is no timetable yet for when a decision will come.
Bell, 22, was arrested last August along with former teammate LeGarrette Blount, after police smelled marijuana in their vehicle. The team released Blount in the wake of the incident. Bell, on the other hand, was slapped with a three-game ban and was entered into a court-mandated 15-month "probationary program" that requires the electrifying young running back to abstain from drugs and alcohol. He's also required to complete a safe driving class as his driver's license was suspended for 60 days.
As Albert Breer of NFL.com noted, the delineation of Bell's suspension was as such; two games for driving under the influence and one for marijuana use/possession. Bell and the NFLPA's argument could be that the league can't punish him twice for the same infraction.
Bell finished the 2014 season with 1,361 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. He also wound up the team's second-leading receiver, amassing 83 catches for 854 yards. While his role as a receiver going forward is likely to change with the team seeing a big jump in development from Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton, Bell remains a major weapon for Pittsburgh and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
There's simply no doubting that the team missed him during their playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens this postseason, so seeing him return quicker than expected will be a major boost to a Steelers squad looking to improve on last season.
UPDATE, 3:20 PM: Bell's suspension has been reduced to two games. Jarrett Bell of USA Today Sports was the first with the news. He'll now miss the first two weeks of the 2015 regular season against the Patriots and the 49ers.
UPDATE: Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell's suspension reduced to 2 games. He will miss games vs. NE & SF (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/YoozCjhy5v
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) July 28, 2015
