PITTSBURGH — Le'Veon Bell played in the NFL the past three years, but it didn't feel like it. And the running back who became known for his patient style and vision took a while to get here, but is admitting that his career was never the same after the 2018 campaign in which he opted to sit out the entire season instead of playing for the Steelers.
In a lengthy Instagram missive Wednesday evening, Bell — who turned 30 in February — essentially announced his retirement from football in favor of pursuing a boxing career. Bell didn't use that word, but he wrote that it's "time for me to move on with my next chapter of life." What's more interesting is how he framed his acrimonious exit from Pittsburgh.
"The NFL has done great things for me, & I truly appreciated every single year of my NFL journey ... obviously, I (we, whoever) wish things would've played out differently in 2018," Bell posted.
