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While it is almost impossible to keep something inside the once-island walls of an NFL locker room in 2018, the subject of a player's personal finances remains sacred.
The NFL relies on an economic model that exploits players' short-term careers and contracts that reflect instability. All actors are theoretically enemies on the ground, but they are unified in greater pressure for more financial security in the face of soaring injury rates and an insensitive structure that encourages the use of a less expensive and younger working group.
The fellowship hit Wednesday in Pittsburgh after running back Le'Veon Bell decided to continue his stalemate and stay away from the team, which he did throughout the pre-season. A seemingly Organized front of veterans making fun of their teammate, specifically mentioning the amount of money he should earn under the franchise ($ 14,544,000) and how much money this represents compared to offensive linemen. who "does it for him" Although this feeling permeates every facility in every NFL city, it has rarely been bottled and used so effectively in front of the assembled press. It was a gesture they thought necessary to send a message, but that could set fire to the emotions left by this team.
It was only a matter of time until the players attacked, but it is surprising that it happened here and now, as the Steelers try to maximize their window to win the match with three critical but aging offensive superstars. NFL facilities are an impossible workspace. The physicality of the profession is confused with constant anxiety; the need to compare oneself to someone else at multiple levels. The unique bond that can only be created through endless hours spent working together for a common purpose is just as easily challenged when the family and family get involved and people make public what it is. ;they deserve.
Head coach Mike Tomlin will not say it, but he is sandwiched between a rock and a hard place. Unless James Conner can replicate Bell's efficient racing style and unparalleled smoothness as an output receiver for a stationary smuggler, the team will have trouble moving the ball. When Bell returns, Tomlin will have to face a huge effort to fix this flaw and assure his players that Bell is operating at full speed for the benefit of all.
Bell will not say it either, but he is facing a similar rise. In most locker rooms, the position taken by his agent, Adisa Bakari, would be praised. Bell was handcuffed by the franchise tag in 2018 and finds himself in a sour-sweet situation: despite a high-end one-year salary, the Steelers will have no interest in monitoring his workload. Bell, in turn, will find himself unable to sign more than a speculative and incentive sales contract, although he reached the market three years before his 30th birthday because of the tremendous mileage he accumulated at the time. during the last seasons.
This is a dead end situation that is too familiar for NFL teams and players who collapse in these situations. Bell's opportunity to sign a long-term agreement – even if it was hollow and ultimately inferior to the market it would become – has passed and its only point of leverage remains the money that comes straight out of its pocket. As one officer said (not Bell): it is unlikely that other teams will pay for it. He will have another year in 2019. He will still have a ton of hits, even if he spends the first half of the season. The idea that he somehow pressed the pause button on his body is a little hard to believe. If Bell comes to the end, he will have to bet more than $ 8 million on his future earnings.
And the Steelers have little choice, but praying Conner is as good and instinctive as he has seen in the pre-season. They praised it. They insisted he be their guy now. Beyond the code of silence regarding teammate money, there is no standard operating procedure once Pandora's Box is open. They will have to understand it on the fly.
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