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Steelers backs arrested for pot
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, left, and LeGarrette Blount will be charged with marijuana possession following a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon.
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh Steelers running backs Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount will be charged with marijuana possession following a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon.
Ross Township detective Brian Kohlhepp said traffic officer Sean Stafiej pulled over a Camaro operated by Bell around 1:30 p.m. after Stafiej, who was on a motorcycle, noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
Stafiej found a 20 gram bag of marijuana inside the car. Bell, Blount and a female passenger all claimed ownership of the marijuana according to police.
Bell, 22, was taken to a hospital to have blood drawn and is expected to be charged with driving under the influence of marijuana.
Bell, Blount and the female passenger were arrested and released. All three are expected to receive notice of formal charges through the mail said Kohlhepp. The possession and DUI charges are both misdemeanors.
The Steelers play a preseason game in Philadelphia tonight. Bell and Blount, signed as a free agent in the offseason, were expected to see significant playing time in the main tuneup for starters before Pittsburgh’s Sept. 7 opener against Cleveland.
Bell set a franchise record for total yards by a rookie running back last season, smashing the mark set by Hall of Famer Franco Harris.
The second-round pick out of Michigan State ran for 860 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 45 passes for 399 yards despite missing the first three games of the season with a foot injury.
Pittsburgh plans to use Bell and Blount as a one-two punch, with the burly 27-year-old Blount expected to be featured heavily in short-yardage situations. The Steelers finished tied for 27th in the league with 1,383 yards rushing in 2013 on their way to an 8-8 record.
The Steelers are eager to test themselves against Philadelphia’s up-tempo offense and face a 3-4 defense.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the offense will get to try their no-huddle approach on the road. On defense, rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier looks to build off his dazzling debut against the Bills.
“We’re excited about it, particularly some of the challenges that the Philadelphia Eagles present offensively with the no-huddle stuff and the up-tempo pace,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “They’re a 3-4 defense.
“We’ve seen some 4-3 defenses. We’re excited about that and they’re capable of being multiple [formations], particularly on situational downs, third downs and so forth. They give you a lot of looks. That’s an exciting opportunity for us to check our in-game readiness.”
Roethlisberger is working hard on perfecting the no-huddle, which is becoming a regular part of more offenses around the league. He threw for a pair of touchdowns during his three series of work in a win over Buffalo last week.
“This week is the last week to get it right,” he said.
Shazier, the 15th pick in May’s draft, had 11 tackles and one interception in one half in his first NFL game. He missed the preseason opener because of a knee injury.
“One week I might have 11 tackles; one week I might have five,” Shazier said. “I’m just doing whatever they want me to do.”