As a 4 p.m. deadline to report approaches for Pittsburgh Steelers holdout running back Le’Veon Bell – if he is to be eligible to play this season – it appears more and more likely that he won’t, and head coach Mike Tomlin says “so be it” if he doesn’t coach Bell again, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler via Twitter.

More from those on Bell Watch Tuesday:

Bell suggested five years ago via Twitter that a player sitting out a year with nothing preventing him or her from playing means that love for the sport is lacking.

Steelers owner Art Rooney II said late last week that he expected Bell to return to the team in advance of Tuesday’s deadline, which would make him eligible to play this season.

NFL Network reported last Wednesday that the Steelers could franchise tag Bell for a third time in 2019, but he would be tagged at the quarterback salary number, not the lower number he was tagged at this year.

Last week, Bell bid farewell to Miami, where he’s been working out – fueling speculation that he might end his holdout and return to the team.

Steelers three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman David DeCastro recently said Bell’s return to the team “just doesn’t matter.”

The Steelers improved to 6-2-1 with Thursday’s 52-21 win against the Carolina Panthers to remain in first place in the AFC North. Earlier this season, the Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Steelers. They visit Pittsburgh on Dec. 30 having lost seven consecutive games – including the AFC Wild Card Playoff game in January of 2016 – to the Steelers.

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The Steelers were “actively shopping” Bell, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. But their window for trading Bell this season closed when he didn’t sign his franchise tender before the trade deadline.

Steelers running back James Conner, who has impressed in Bell’s absence, told FS1’s First Things First that Bell has reached out to him throughout this season, sending messages of support.

Steelers quarterback and former Miami University standout Ben Roethlisberger suggested that Conner performed well in a win against the Atlanta Falcons earlier this season because he’s “tired of hearing about Le’Veon so much.”