Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown isn’t holding back on Le’Veon Bell

Antonio Brown has some choice words for his teammate who is likely to miss training camp after not reaching a new deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown has emerged as a leader for the team in recent memory, especially since becoming the highest paid player at his position this past off-season. One would expect Antonio to continue to fulfill his duties on and off the field with money on the back of his mind, as the team begins the 2017 season. The scene in Pittsburgh as the Steelers ready themselves for training camp remains cloudy, as doubts begin to surface on whether or not running back Le’Veon Bell will show after not receiving a new deal.

Although there has been no official word from Le’Veon’s camp in regards to his appearance at training camp, all signs point towards Bell being absent. Since Bell has yet to sign his franchise tender, this frees him of all obligation to show up come July 27th. The Steelers back also took to his social media after not reaching a new deal, revealing very little other than an upset tone.

The speculation of Bell’s future proceeded almost immediately, with seemingly every football pundit bringing their crystal ball out and blowing the dust off to say where Bel may be heading next.

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Brown has no plans of Bell leaving, as he took the role of recruiter when he spoke in an interview conducted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler about prior conversations with Bell over the phone. The conversation, according to Brown, took place for roughly two hours and the content of the call was “top-secret”.

"“If we’re going to do what we desire to do, we need every guy a part of the organization in a helmet to be there committed to the cause. He’s a special piece. Obviously, we know what he brings to the team, his dimension playing football, but he’s a special individual. I pray that we have him there.”"

As if phone calls or tweets weren’t enough, Brown posted a picture on Instagram of himself with Bell and other teammates embracing each other. Normally, this would a fine post on social media, with Brown simply showing some love to his team. However, the caption for the photo didn’t sit well with many fans.

Whether you agree with his decision or not, it is important for somebody from the Steelers to step to the plate and hold Bell responsible for doing his part as a teammate. While Brown wanted a new deal after his contract was coming to a close, he remained patient and still showed up to camp, to which he was rewarded tremendously.

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Will Bell follow his footsteps? Most likely not. However, Antonio is stepping up to the plate and doing his best as a friend, teammate and leader of the Steelers organization to get their most important piece back on the field.