The Pittsburgh Steelers had some unwelcome news heading into their preseason, as Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount were arrested for marijuana possession and now some fantasy football owners could be scrambling for another running back and right now Dri Archer is the third string name on the roster heading into the season.
According to ESPN.com, Bell and Blount were arrested with another person on Wednesday after a traffic stop and the police officer smelled marijuana and now Bell could also get hit with driving under the influence of marijuana charges. Bell is 22 and was a draft pick last season for the Steelers and he was expected to be the starter, while Blount comes in after signing with the team as a free agent. The two were with a female passenger and had a 20 gram bag of marijuana with them.
The report says that the incident happened two hours before the team flew to Philly to prepare for their preseason game against the Eagles. Last season Blount played well in his time with the Patriots and Bell was productive after getting over an injury to start the season. While the two players may not face immediate discipline, it could come down later on and with the way the NFL operates, it surely will be longer than the two games that Ray Rice got for beating his wife, since the league treats drug offenders much worse than players who commit acts of domestic violence.
Blount signed a two-year, $3.85 million contract in the offseason and reports say that Bell and Blount have grown close since he signed with the team. Bell was impressive last season while putting up over 1200 total yards and now he could be hit with a suspension at some point. Blount was solid last season with the Pats and rushed for 772 on the ground and also added 166 in the playoffs against the Colts. Archer comes in from Kent State and he previously rushed for over 1400 yards and had 16 TDs two years ago in college and he could be a solid handcuff option for anyone that has drafted Blount or Bell.
