Bell appears to deny report of planned return on Labor Day
Running back Le'Veon Bell seems to have refuted a report stating that he'll return to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Labor Day ahead of the upcoming regular season.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac reported that Bell told teammates he would be reporting to practice on Labor Day. Dulac also noted that the Steelers expected Bell to attend practice Monday.
Bell appears to have shot down the report on Twitter:
don’t believe the fake news, I never said anything to no one...
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) August 28, 2018
Bell missed the Steelers' training camp for the second consecutive year, a direct response to the team applying the franchise tag on him for the second year in a row. Under the terms of the tag, Bell will be paid $14.5 million for the 2018 season.
The 26-year-old rushed for 1,291 yards and six touchdowns, adding 85 receptions for 655 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games during the 2017 season.
Pittsburgh opens its season against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 9.