Le’Veon Bell’s illness was enough to keep him off the field against the Dolphins in Week 14, but it didn’t deter him from hitting the lanes on Saturday night.
Hours after being ruled out against Miami, Bell spent his evening at the Boonton Lanes bowling alley in northern New Jersey. According to the New York Post, Bell was at the bowling alley from 10:30 p.m. to its closing time at 1 a.m. Bell’s group had alcohol on its table, but it’s unknown whether the running back was drinking.
Bell did not practice on Thursday and Friday due to flu-like symptoms. Adam Gase sent Bell home on Friday to avoid getting other players sick and Bell was not present at New York’s walkthrough on Saturday. He was also not seen at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
According to Gase, Bell didn’t violate any team rules by going bowling despite being ruled out for Gang Green’s game the next day. New York’s starting tailback will not be disciplined for his actions and the team will discuss the situation with him. However, Gase wasn’t exactly thrilled when discussing Bell’s trip to the bowling alley when speaking with the media on Tuesday.
“Yeah, I’d say so,” Gase said when asked if Bell going out is a bad optic.
Bell has struggled to get going for the Jets in his first season with the team, rushing for 589 yards and three touchdowns after signing a four-year, $56.5 million deal with $27 million in guaranteed money in March. In Bell’s last game against the Bengals, he produced a mere 32 yards on only 10 carries.
With Bilal Powell dealing with an ankle injury and now flu-like symptoms himself, Bell’s impending return against the Ravens on Thursday night is imperative to New York’s offensive gameplan.
Assuming he’s healthy enough to play, the hope is that Bell will be able to bowl over Baltimore defenders in Week 15.
