After two days of training camp, running back Le’Veon Bell has as many drug tests as he does practices with his new team.
One day after missing time from camp for a league-mandated drug test, Bell made his way back into the team facility to complete another on Saturday. As mandated by the NFL, Bell is subject to being pulled from the field during training camp in order to be tested for any violations.
“Since he wasn’t here in the spring, they have to do everything now,” Gase told reporters after practice. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”
The rules state that “All players are tested once from April 20 to Aug. 9. In the preseason, testing may be done on a team-wide basis or by position groups. A player who is excused by the medical advisor from a team-wide or position-group test may be tested individually, but only before the first regular-season game absent extenuating circumstances.”
Having received two suspensions in the past for violating such terms, it is essential that Bell cooperates with the league to ensure he can suit up for the Jets in Week 1. In 2016, he was handed a suspension for simply missing tests that fell in accordance with league rules.
