Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell criticized the franchise following the trade of cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys. On Oct. 1 the Steelers parted ways with the disgruntled Porter, who was a 2023 second-round draft pick of the franchise out of nearby Penn State.
The move followed a prolonged contract extension stalemate and a summer holdout due to a reported back injury. Dallas sent a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for the cornerback.
Steelers Move Got Bell Talking
In the aftermath of the move Bell took to social media to criticize the Steelers’ handling of contract negotiations for Black players. The outspoken former Michigan State Spartans star had plenty to say on the matter.
He stated that he wished the organization “paid their black superstars they drafted just like they pay their white ones,” while also pointing back to the 2025 trade of wide receiver George Pickens, who also was traded to the Cowboys. Bell even went as far to draw a distinction with superstar edge rusher T.J. Watt.
“I wish Pittsburgh paid their black superstars they drafted just like they pay their white ones they draft,” Bell posted on X on Thursday afternoon.
“Hate to see porter get traded .. I thought same thing with [George] pickens? TJ Watt is worth every penny tho, so let’s not get it confused .. but something needs to change,” he added.
Bell’s Comments Got Social Media Jumping
Bell a former member of the “Killer B‘s” (Ben, Brown and Bell) in Pittsburgh, drew immediate backlash and heavy media debate for his comments, with critics pointing out historical data showing major contracts given to Black players in Pittsburgh alongside skepticism over comparing the unrelated situations.
“Bro, Colin Kaepernick already went there…you need an original ‘the NFL is racist’ angle,” a fan said.
“Sure, I’m sure the stats bare that out… what a tool,” another critic said.
“They had a black head coach for 20 years,” a fan replied.
“He still bitter. Look at his stats. The Steelers made a smart business decision. Mike Tomlin is one of the greatest NFL coaches for being able to keep DIVA’s like Bell and Antonio Brown in check early in their careers,” another fan commented.
“Everything is racist to racists,” a social media user quipped.
“There are more knuckleheads amongst the black players,” someone else claimed.
Bell Has To Eat Crow
After fans explained their assessments to him, Bell quickly changed his tune.
“Steelers trades of Black players Porter Jr. and Pickens resulted from contract standoffs and behavior issues, not race. Porter rejected $27M AAV; Pickens had maturity problems. Team paid Black stars like Brown and offered Bell $70M he turned down,” one social media user said.
Bell replied, “I reacted to the JPJ contract situation a little too quickly .. it gave me ptsd, my bad y’all.”
