Le’veon Bell, also known as “Juice”, is a current running back in the NFL who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bell played three years of college ball at Michigan State, where he had a remarkable career, posting career totals of 34 touchdowns, 3,346 rushing yards, and 531 receiving yards. After his incredible junior year, Bell decided to enter the NFL Draft where he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 48th overall pick.
Le’Veon Bell Net Worth As Of 2018: $3.5 Million
Bell just wrapped up his fifth season in the NFL, with his most recent season arguably being his finest. However, with the surplus of running backs in the NFL, Bell has failed to agree to a long term contract with the Steelers. This has caused him to sign the franchise tag for the past two seasons. He’s scheduled to pocket $14.5 million for the upcoming 2018-2019 season before hitting unrestricted free agency.
Early Life
Bell was born on February 18th, 1992, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, where he and his siblings, two older sisters and two younger brothers, were raised just by their mother, Lisa, who struggled mightily financially. When Bell attended high school at Groveport Madison High, he found a father figure in Donis Toler Jr., who was the principal of the school.
High School
Got my shooters wit me @L_Bell26
#teamLetItFly pic.twitter.com/yF6a8dbCJW
— Joe Haden (@joehaden23) February 11, 2018
In high school, Bell was a multi-sport athlete. He participated in football, basketball, and even track. In football, Bell made the varsity team as a sophomore, where he went on to rush for 789 rushing yards to pair with nine touchdowns. As a junior, these stats progressed to 1,100 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Finally, as a senior, he set the school record for both of these categories with a whopping 1,333 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. After putting up such tremendous stats, Bell was named to the First Team All-Ohio Capital Conference in the Ohio Division.
2009-2012
Playing as a true freshman in his first season at Michigan State, Bell rushed for 605 yards with eight rushing touchdowns, to go along with 97 receiving yards on 11 receptions. These accolades allowed him to receive mentions for All Big-Ten Freshman Honors. In his sophomore season, Bell received an increase in playing time, which led to him rushing for 948 yards and 13 touchdowns, plus his 267 receiving yards on 35 catches. In his junior year, we finally got our first glimpse at “Juice,” and just how dynamic he could be. He posted 1,793 rushing yards, leading the FBS, to go along with 12 rushing touchdowns, 167 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown. He was then voted to the First Team All Big-Ten by the coaches and media poll. After such a spectacular season, Bell declared to go pro, where he was picked up in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
2013-Present
The only struggle Bell has faced throughout his career with Steelers is his ability to stay on the field. Whether it be injury or suspension, Bell has played in a relatively limited amount of games for the Steelers. He has only completed two full seasons, one being his last, and his other coming in his second season back in 2014. In those two seasons, Bell was arguably the best running back in football. In 2014, as just a second-year player, Bell posted incredible numbers of 1,361 rushing yards and 854 receiving yards. Not to mention his combined 11 rushing and receiving touchdowns. At the time, the thought of eclipsing those numbers or even flirting with them seemed improbable. Then this past year, Bell went for 1,291 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, to pair with 655 receiving yards and two touchdowns while helping lead the Steelers to the second-best record in the AFC. Moral of the story, Pittsburgh would be wise to pay this man and lock him up long term.