LeVeon Bell

Childhood & High School

Le’Veon Bell was born in Reynoldsburg, Ohio on February 18, 1992. Raised alongside his brothers by their single mother, Bell’s family struggled financially, though is mother always managed to provide them with the resources they needed, including Bell’s equipment while he was participating in sports at school. Bell attended Groveport Madison High School in Groveport, Ohio, where he was known for his strong achievements in football, basketball, and track. During his high school football career as a running back, he rushed for 3,222 yards and 43 touchdowns, and was selected first-team All-Ohio Capital Conference (OCC) Ohio Division as a senior. It was also during his senior year that he was offered a scholarship to play at Michigan State. He was considered only a two star recruit, ranked 211^th for running backs in the nation in 2010.

College

Ended his college career ranked 6^th among MSU’s all-time leaders in rushing touchdowns, with 33 in 40 career games. He also ranked 6^th for rushing attempts, 7^th for rushing yards, and 9^th for all-purpose yards, and had 12 career 100 yard rushing games. Bell was named Offensive Player of the Game in the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. His college highlights video is available online.

NFL Draft

In the 2013 NFL Draft Combine, Bell was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 48^th pick in the second round of the NFL Draft. His 40 time was 4.6 seconds, and he had a vertical leap of 31.5 inches. His complete draft profile can be viewed here.

2013 - 2014 Season

On September 29, 2013, Bell played in his first career game, after having missed the first three weeks of the season due to a foot injury. He finished his rookie season with 244 carries, 860 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, and started the last final thirteen games of the season.

In 2014, Bell became the first running back in Steelers’ history to have seven consecutive games with 100 yards from scrimmage. Later in the season, he would tie Walter Payton for most consecutive games with 200+ yards from scrimmage. On December 29, 2014, Bell injured his knee while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals, causing him to miss playing in the Wild Card round of the 2014 playoffs. However, he finished the season second in rushing yards, yards from scrimmage, and all-purpose yards, and leading all running backs in receiving yards per reception.

2015 NFL Season

Bell was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2015 regular season after having been arrest in August 2014 on DUI and possession of marijuana charges; however, this was later reduced to three games, and then later to only two games. He made his season debut on September 27, 2015 against the St. Louis Rams. During Week 6, Bell rushed a season high 24 times, finishing the game with 88 rushing yards against the Arizona Cardinals. During the second quarter, against the Cincinnati Bengals in November, he suffered a season-ending torn MCL. After undergoing surgery, Bell was able to return for the 2016 offseason, and, despite the injury, was ranked 41^st on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016 NFL Season

During Week 7, bell caught a career-high 10 passes for 68 receiving yards against the New England Patriots, and on December 11, 2016, he broke the Steelers’ record for rushing yards in a game with 236 yards on 38 carries, while scoring three touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 14, and named to his second Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016. Despite missing four of sixteen games, Bell finished 3^rd in the NFL with 1,884 yards from scrimmage. His 2016 season highlights video is available online.

Personal Life

Bell is also a rap musician, making his music available through his SoundCloud page (https://soundcloud.com/juicewetrust). He also works actively with several charities, including doing work with PETA. Bell is very active on social media, posting consist updates regarding his career and person life. His Twitter and Instagram handles are @L_Bell26 and @SteelerRB26, respectively. Bell is also active on Snapchat and Facebook.

Bell is currently signed to a four year rookie contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, worth $4.12 million, including $2.27 million guaranteed, and a signing bonus of $1.37 million. His annual average salary is $1.03 million. His jersey and autograph are available for sale on the NFL shop.