The Pittsburgh Steelers refused to give into running back Le'Veon Bell's contract demands prior to the 2018 season. That led to the ball-carrier sitting out the whole year, and it may have affected the entirety of his career. There were other moments throughout his tenure in the NFL that could have adjusted his professional path. One of the main moments was Cincinnati Bengals linebacker and Pittsburgh villain Vontaze Burfict tackling him from behind during a game in the 2015 season. The hit led to an MCL injury that ended the running back's season.
The former running back recently jumped into a boxing career after leaving the pigskin at home. Bell recently joined the "Misfits Boxing 007" podcast and one of the hosts had a question for him that should leave Steelers fans ready for what's next.
"Is there anyone out there that you think, 'I need this moment with you?'"
The group probably expected Bell to name a certain boxer who he would want to join him in the ring. Instead, the former All-Pro running back hinted at the fact that he would square up with someone he went head-to-head against on the football field.
"There is. There is. This person [is not] a boxer. It's from football."
It got even spicier. The history between the Steelers and Burfict is not a secret. The linebacker absolutely annihilated Antonio Brown in the middle of a 2016 Wild Card Game, but many fans forget what happened the year before.
"He purposefully, like injured me. People who watched my career, when I hurt my knee, people know. People know."
There is absolutely no love lost between Pittsburgh and the former Bengals linebacker who seemed to always be headhunting. He was a dirty player throughout his career and there's not doubt that Bell was specifically thinking about him when pondering who he would want to bring into the boxing ring. Bell wants revenge and it might be a fair fight, despite what people may think.
It's easy to connect the dots between Burfict and Bell if you look back at Bell's comments from OTA's prior to the 2016 season.
"I don't think it was just [Burfict]; it was like the whole team was really out there trying to like twist my ankles and do little dirty stuff in between the piles," Bell told Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I feel like there's a lot of teams that do that, try to take me out of the game. A lot of teams in our division really play that same way, so obviously I know that—I just was kind of ignorant to that at first because I didn't think people played like that."
Burfict weighed in at roughly 250 pounds during his NFL career. Bell was around the same, and it's safe to say that he has a fire lit under him. While it is unlikely to ever happen, Steelers and Bengals fans would pay a large amount of money to watch the two square up.
Steelers 2013 Draft Pick Not Shy About Wanting To Box Certain Someone
Bell finished his comments off with a very stern and clear statement. There's no doubt that he would accept a bout with the guy who always seemed to be out for blood against his opponents.
"I would love to wipe my hands with him," Bell said.
One could assume that the former Steelers running back was referring to Burfict, but it can't be confirmed. Overall, Bell has a certain grudge that he is holding against someone from his time in the NFL, and the most likely culprit is Burfict. Bell's MCL injury was one of many that the brutal linebacker caused, and everyone would be throwing their money at the pay-per-view provider if it meant Bell and Burfict settling the score.
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