Le'Veon Bell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Le'Veon Bell

Bell with the Jets in 2019
No. 26, 17, 6
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1992-02-18) February 18, 1992 (age 32) Reynoldsburg, Ohio, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:	Groveport Madison (Groveport, Ohio)
College:	Michigan State (2010–2012)
NFL Draft:	2013 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48
Career history
Pittsburgh Steelers (2013) New York Jets (2019) Kansas City Chiefs (2020) Baltimore Ravens (2021) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Pro (2014) 2× Second-team All-Pro (2016, 2017) 3× Pro Bowl (2014, 2016, 2017) First-team All-American (2012) First-team All-Big Ten (2012) Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Offensive MVP (2012)
Career NFL statistics as of 2021
Rushing yards: 6,554 Yards per carry: 4.1 Rushing touchdowns: 42 Receptions: 399 Receiving yards: 3,289 Receiving touchdowns: 9 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Le'Veon Andrew Bell Sr. (/ˈleɪviɒn/ LAY-vee-on; born February 18, 1992) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He also played for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After a rookie season where he ran for over 800 yards, Bell broke out in his second season with the Steelers, totaling over 2,200 combined yards and made the Pro Bowl. Bell missed several games in the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to suspensions and injuries, but still put up solid numbers and was voted to the NFL Top 100 both times. In 2017, he had a league-high 321 carries for 1,291 yards, as well as 85 catches for 655 yards, and made the third Pro Bowl of his career. The next year, Bell refused to sign the franchise tag placed upon him by the Steelers, resulting in him sitting out the entire 2018 season. He signed with the New York Jets the following off-season, but never regained his old level of success, and following less than two seasons, he was released by the Jets. Following his release, Bell signed with the Kansas City Chiefs where he finished the 2020 season.

Early years

Bell was born on February 18, 1992, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, later attending Groveport Madison High School in Groveport, Ohio, where he played football, basketball, and ran track. He played running back for the Groveport Cruisers football team. As a sophomore, Bell ran for 789 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. As a junior, Bell ran for 1,100 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, and as a senior, Bell ran for 1,333 yards on 200 carries with 21 touchdowns. He was selected first-team All-Ohio Capital Conference Ohio Division as a senior. In basketball, Bell earned second-team All-OCC Ohio Division honors as a junior. He also participated in track & field while at Groveport, where he ran the 100 and 200-meter dashes and was one of the state's top performers in the high jump (personal-best of 6 feet and 8 inches or 2.03 meters).

Considered a two-star recruit by ESPN.com, Bell was listed as the No. 211 running back in the nation in 2010. Although he was a three-year starter in high school, Bell had limited scholarship offers from Bowling Green, Marshall, and Eastern Michigan, but he hoped to attend Ohio State. Bell's high school principal, Donis Toler Jr., believed he was under-recruited and reached out to Michigan State's head coach Mark Dantonio. Although Dantonio had heard of Bell, they had never scouted him personally or had thought of offering him a scholarship. With football season over, Dantonio sent his running back's coach to scout Bell at his high school basketball game. After he finished his senior football season, he finally received a scholarship offer from Michigan State after some players got into trouble and Michigan State had open scholarships available with a need at running back. In 2010, he graduated from high school early and began attending Michigan State that spring semester.

College career

Bell enrolled in Michigan State University, where he played for the Michigan State Spartans football team from 2010 to 2012 under head coach Mark Dantonio.

2010 season

Bell was an immediate contributor to the Spartans in their 11–2 campaign, which at the time was the most wins in a single season in school history. He made his collegiate debut in the Spartans' season opener against Western Michigan. In the 38–14 victory, he had 10 carries for 141 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Two weeks later, against Notre Dame, he had 17 carries for 114 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 34–31 victory. On September 25, against Northern Colorado, he had 11 carries for 92 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 45–7 victory. Overall, he appeared in 13 games, rushing for 605 yards on 107 carries with eight rushing touchdowns. He also added 97 yards on 11 receptions and returned six kickoffs for 142 yards. In total, he had 844 all-purpose yards. He received All Big-Ten Freshman honors from ESPN.com and Rivals.com.

2011 season

As a sophomore, Bell's role increased for the Spartans in their 11–3 season. He started the 2011 season with nine carries for 40 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 28–6 victory over Youngstown State. On September 24, against Central Michigan, he had eight carries for 81 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 45–7 victory. On November 5, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, he had 165 all-purpose yards (96 rushing, 38 receiving, and 31 kickoff return yards) and two total touchdowns in the 31–24 victory. On November 12, against the Iowa Hawkeyes, he had 161 yards of total offense and a rushing touchdown in the 37–21 victory. In the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin, he had 18 carries for 106 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 42–39 loss. Against #18 Georgia in the 2012 Outback Bowl, Bell rushed for 48 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns and had five receptions for 39 yards in Michigan State's 33–30 2OT victory. Bell's second touchdown came very late in the fourth quarter and allowed the Spartans to force overtime. Bell led the Spartans in rushing with 948 yards on 182 carries and 13 touchdowns.

2012 season

As a junior, Bell got a majority of the carries in the backfield for the Spartans in their 7–6 season. He started the season with 44 carries for 210 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with six receptions for 55 receiving yards in a 17–13 victory over Boise State. Against Eastern Michigan on September 22, Bell ran for a career-high 253 yards on 36 carries in the 23–7 victory to earn the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Award. On October 6, against Indiana, he had 37 carries for 121 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 31–27 victory. In the following week's game against Iowa, he had 29 carries for 140 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 19–16 loss. On November 3, against Nebraska, he had 36 carries for 188 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 28–24 loss. Two weeks later, against Northwestern, he had 32 carries for 133 rushing yards in the 23–20 loss. On November 24, against Minnesota, he had 35 carries for 266 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 26–10 victory. In the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, against TCU, he had 32 carries for 145 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 17–16 victory. He earned Offensive MVP honors for the bowl game.

Bell finished the season with 382 carries for 1,793 rushing yards, which was the second most in the Big Ten Conference, and 12 rushing touchdowns. His 1,793 rushing yards ranked second in school history for a single season, trailing only Lorenzo White's 2,066 rushing yards in the 1985 season. He was voted to the First-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media, ESPN.com, College Football News, and Phil Steele. He won the George Alderton Award, which is given to the top male athlete at Michigan State.

After his junior season in 2012, Bell decided to forgo his senior season and entered the 2013 NFL Draft.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Coming out of Michigan State, Bell was projected by the majority of analysts to be a second or third round selection. He was ranked as the fifth best running back by NFLDraftScout.com and ranked the best overall running back by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks. He received an invitation to the NFL Combine and participated in all workouts and positional drills.

Bell was satisfied with his combine performance and only performed positional drills at Michigan State's Pro Day. Bell, Dion Sims, William Gholston, Johnny Adams, and five other Michigan State prospects worked out in front of scouts and representatives from 29 NFL teams. The only head coach that attended was Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin. Scouts considered Bell a big bruising back with quick feet and lower body strength and also gave him positive reviews for his ability to run north-south, for his strong cuts, and nice bursts through holes. The only negative reviews were based on his limited ball-carrier vision, inconsistent blocking, and his height that would possibly affect his speed and ability to dodge tacklers.

Pittsburgh Steelers

2013 season

Bell practicing with the Steelers in 2013

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Bell in the second round with the 48th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was the second running back to be selected that year, only behind Giovani Bernard (37th overall, Bengals). On June 3, 2013, the Steelers signed Bell to a four-year, $4.12 million rookie contract that included $2.27 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.37 million.

Bell entered training camp competing with veteran Isaac Redman for the Steelers' starting running back position. In his second preseason game against the Washington Redskins, Bell was tackled on a running play and suffered a mid-foot sprain. His injury did not require surgery, but forced him to miss the first three weeks of the regular season.

On September 29, Bell appeared in his first NFL game at Wembley Stadium in London and rushed for 57 yards on 16 carries and a season-high two rushing touchdowns while also catching four receptions for 27 yards in a 34–27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. His first professional touchdown came on an eight-yard run in the first quarter of the game. The Steelers chose to release Isaac Redman on October 21. On November 28, Bell had 16 carries for 73 yards and ran for a season-long 43-yard touchdown, while also racking up a season-high seven catches for 63-yards during a 22–20 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13. During a Week 16 road matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Bell had a season-high 26 carries for 124 yards and a rushing touchdown in the 38–31 victory. For his Week 16 performance, Bell earned the Joe Greene Great Performance Award and the Pepsi Next NFL Rookie of the Week nomination. On December 29, in a Week 17 game against division rival Cleveland Browns, Bell broke Steelers legend Franco Harris's rookie record for total yards from scrimmage with 1,259 yards.

Bell finished his rookie season with 244 carries, 860 rushing yards, and eight rushing touchdowns to go along with 45 receptions for 399 yards. He started the last 13 games of the season. He became the first rookie to lead the team in rushing since Tim Worley in 1989. Among rookies, he finished third in rushing yards and second in rushing touchdowns.

2014 season

Bell began his second season as a starter in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns and finished the game with 21 carries, 109 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and six receptions for 88 yards in a 30–27 home victory. On September 21, in Week 3, Bell and LeGarrette Blount both rushed for over 100 yards each against the Carolina Panthers. He finished the 37–19 road victory with 21 carries for 147 rushing yards, including a career long 81 yard run. On October 20, Bell had eight catches for 88 yards and made his first NFL receiving touchdown in a 30–23 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 7. Bell became the first running back in Steelers' history to have seven consecutive games with 100 yards from scrimmage. He had his most productive rushing game of the season in Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans, gaining 204 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on a season-high 33 carries in the 27–24 victory.

On November 30, Bell had a season-high eight receptions for 159 receiving yards while also accounting for 21 carries, 95 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown in a 35–32 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 13. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his effort against the Saints. The next game, he rushed 26 times for 185 yards and made six catches for 50 yards while scoring three total touchdowns in a 42–21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14. Bell tied Walter Payton's NFL record of three consecutive games with at least 200 yards from scrimmage after his performance against the Bengals. In Week 15, he had 20 carries for 47 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with five receptions for 72 receiving yards in the 27–20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. On December 28, Bell was injured against the Bengals in the Week 17 regular season finale when he hyperextended his knee while being tackled by safety Reggie Nelson. He was ruled out against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round of the 2014 playoffs.

Bell broke out in the 2014 season, going from rookie to All-Pro, finishing second in rushing yards, yards from scrimmage, and all-purpose yards to Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray. He led all running backs in receiving yards and yards per reception. He finished the season averaging 4.7 rushing yards per carry (YPC), up from 3.5 YPC in 2013. Bell finished his first complete regular season with a career-high 290 carries, 1,361 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 83 receptions, 854 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. Bell's 2,215 yards from scrimmage set a new single season franchise record, breaking Barry Foster's 2,034 in 1992. He earned FedEx Ground Player of the Week twice, once in Week 3 and once in Week 11. In addition, he was named FedEx Ground Player of the Year. He finished fourth in AP Offensive Player of the Year Voting. He was named to the Pro Bowl and was ranked 16th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.

2015 season

After being arrested with then-teammate LeGarrette Blount in August 2014, Bell was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2015 regular season. On April 9, 2015, it was reported that the suspension was reduced to three games. On July 28, Bell's suspension was reduced from three games to two following a successful appeal.

Bell made his 2015 debut against the St. Louis Rams in Week 3 on September 27, 2015. He finished the game with 19 carries for 62 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season, while also accounting for seven catches for 70 receiving yards. The following week, he had 22 rushing attempts for a season-high 129 yards and a touchdown in a 23–20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. On October 12, Bell had 21 rushes for 111 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of regulation after taking a direct snap from the wildcat formation, helping the Steelers defeat the San Diego Chargers by a score of 24–20. During a Week 6 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, Bell rushed a season-high 24 times and finished the 25–13 victory with 88 rushing yards.

On November 1, Bell suffered a season-ending torn MCL during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals, after being tackled by linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The following day, the Steelers placed him on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. Bell finished the 2015 season with a total of 113 rushing attempts for 556 rushing yards and three touchdowns and 24 receptions for 136 receiving yards in six starts.

On November 6, it was reported by NFL Network analyst Jason La Canfora that Bell had undergone successful surgery to repair the damage to his MCL/PCL. Despite the injury, he was ranked 41st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

2016 season

On August 19, 2016, Bell was officially suspended for the first three games of the 2016 regular season. The original suspension was four games, but was reduced to three on appeal and as a part of a settlement between the league and the NFL Player's Association.

Bell played in his first game of the season on October 2 and recorded 18 carries for 144 rushing yards to go along with five receptions for 34 receiving yards in a 43–14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. In a Week 7 matchup against the New England Patriots, Bell caught a career-high 10 passes for 68 receiving yards and had 21 carries for 81 rushing yards in a 27–16 loss. On November 13, Bell had 17 carries for 57 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season during a 30–35 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10. In addition, he accounted for nine receptions for 77 receiving yards and caught his first receiving touchdown of the season. The next game, he had 28 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown during a 24–9 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 11.

On December 11, against the Buffalo Bills, Bell broke the Steelers franchise record for rushing yards in a game with 236 rushing yards on a career-high 38 carries while scoring three touchdowns. The previous record was set by Willie Parker when he rushed for 223 yards in 2006. Bell was named as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Bills. He was named to his second Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016 and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. Bell finished the 2016 regular season with 261 carries for 1,268 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, while also recording 75 catches for 616 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. He had a career-high four fumbles and lost only one. He recorded at least 100 yards from scrimmage in 11 of the 12 games he played in. Despite missing four games, he finished third in the NFL with 1,884 yards from scrimmage.

On January 8, 2017, Bell started in his first NFL playoff game and finished with 29 carries for a playoff franchise-record 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 30–12 victory over the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Round. His first career playoff touchdown came on a one-yard run in the second quarter and he also caught two passes for seven yards. The next week, he broke his own team playoff record with 170 rushing yards on 30 carries in an 18–16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. As the first NFL player to rush over 150 yards in his first two playoff games, he also set a record for most rushing yards in a player's first two playoff games, became one of four players to ever rush for 150+ yards in back to back playoff games, and one of three players with two 160+ yard playoff games in a career. However, he suffered an injury late in the game, which grew unmanageable during the AFC Championship loss to the New England Patriots, and he was forced to leave in the second quarter. He finished tied for sixth in the AP Offensive Player of the Year Voting. Bell was ranked #9 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

2017 season

On February 27, 2017, the Steelers placed the franchise tag on Bell. On September 24, Bell had six receptions for 37 receiving yards, 15 carries for 61 rushing yards, and scored his first touchdown of the season on a one-yard run as the Steelers lost to the Chicago Bears by a score of 23–17. The following week, he had a season-high 35 carries for 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns during the Pittsburgh Steelers 26–9 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 6, Bell rushed for 179 yards on 32 carries in a 19–13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 7, against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 35 carries for 134 rushing yards in the 29–14 victory. In Week 12, against the Green Bay Packers, he had 20 carries for 95 rushing yards and 88 receiving yards on a career-high 12 receptions. During Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13, Bell recorded 182 total yards of offense, with 106 receiving yards, 76 rushing yards, and a touchdown as the Steelers won 23–20. In Week 14, against the Baltimore Ravens, he had 13 carries for 48 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 39–38 victory. On December 19, Bell was named to his third Pro Bowl. Bell was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. In addition, he was also named as a First-team All-Pro for the second time in his career. The Steelers secured a first round bye for the playoffs after going 13–3 in the regular season. Overall, he finished the 2017 season with a league-high 321 carries for 1,291 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns to go along with 85 receptions for 655 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He was ranked fifth by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

On January 11, 2018, Bell said that if the Steelers franchise tagged him again, he would definitely consider sitting out for the year or retiring from the NFL. In 2016, Bell reportedly turned down a two-year deal worth $30 million. Bell said he was not concerned about making the most money possible, but instead wanted to be paid in relation with his value to the team, reportedly saying, "I just want to be valued where I'm at" and "Just get the numbers straight, exactly where we want them. I'm not going to settle for anything. I know what I do and what I bring to the table. I'm not going out here getting the ball 400 times if I'm not getting what I feel I'm valued at." After news broke across the internet, Bell tweeted: "I'm trying to win a super bowl...I can care less about what happens after this season...my biggest thing I'm focused on is this team I'm on right now, playing for/with my brothers, & bringing back a 7th ring! what happens next year is irrelevant to my goals". On January 14, Bell sent a tweet before playing in the AFC Divisional Round against the Jacksonville Jaguars saying "I love round 2's...we'll have two round 2's in back to back weeks...", referring to their rematch against the Jaguars, along with a possible rematch against the Patriots. The Steelers ended up losing to the Jaguars in a high scoring 45–42 affair in which Bell carried the ball 16 times and had 67 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with nine receptions for 88 yards and a receiving touchdown.

2018 season

On March 6, 2018, the Steelers placed the franchise tag on Bell for the second straight year worth $14.5 million. Bell refused to sign the franchise tag and did not attend any team activities after contract negotiations stalled on July 16.

Bell missed the first nine regular season games, and then did not report to the Steelers prior to the NFL's November 13 deadline to sign his franchise tender, therefore making him ineligible to play in the 2018 NFL season.

On February 20, 2019, the Steelers announced that they would not use the franchise tag on Bell, making him a free agent at the start of the new official NFL year on March 13.

New York Jets

2019 season

Bell in a game against the Washington Redskins

On March 13, 2019, Bell signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the New York Jets with $35 million guaranteed, making him the second highest paid running back in the NFL.

After holding out for the preseason, Bell played his first game with the Jets on September 8, 2019, against the Buffalo Bills where Bell rushed 17 times for 60 rushing yards and caught six passes for 32 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown as the Jets lost 17–16. Dealing with shoulder soreness, Bell played in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, where he finished with 68 rushing yards and a lost fumble as the Jets lost 23–3. In Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys, Bell rushed 14 times for 50 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the season in the 24–22 win. In Week 16 against his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bell rushed 25 times for 72 yards and caught four passes for 21 yards during the 16–10 win. Overall, in the 2019 season, Bell recorded 789 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 66 receptions for 461 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

2020 season

Bell entered the 2020 season as the Jets starting running back. In Week 1, he suffered a hamstring injury against the Buffalo Bills and was placed on injured reserve on September 15, 2020. He was activated on October 10. In his return in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, Bell rushed for 60 yards and caught one pass for seven yards during the 30–10 loss. After the game, Bell liked a tweet suggesting that the Jets should trade him. When asked about the social media interaction, Jets' head coach Adam Gase said that "I hate that's the route that we go with all of this instead of just talking to me about it, but it is the way guys want to do it nowadays." Bell was released by the Jets on October 13 after the team failed to find a trade partner.

Kansas City Chiefs

On October 17, 2020, Bell signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. In Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Bell rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown during the 35–31 win. This was Bell's first touchdown as a Chief. Overall, Bell finished the 2020 regular season with 82 carries for 328 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 16 receptions for 138 receiving yards.

Baltimore Ravens

On September 7, 2021, Bell was signed by the Baltimore Ravens to their practice squad. He was activated for Week 4 against Denver Broncos and for Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers, scoring his first touchdown of the season in the latter game. He was signed to the active roster on October 19, 2021. He was released on November 16, 2021.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On December 22, 2021, Bell signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reuniting with former Pittsburgh Steelers teammates Antonio Brown, Ross Cockrell, and Steve McLendon. He played in three total games for the Buccaneers and caught a touchdown from Tom Brady in Week 18 against the Carolina Panthers. He was released on January 22, 2022.

Playing style

Bell is known for his unconventional running style. While not the fastest runner, he is still considered elusive due to his patience in waiting for his blockers to create running lanes before suddenly accelerating for a big gain, despite coaches and analysts advising running backs to "hit a hole with authority". CBS sportscaster Phil Simms has nicknamed Bell the "Great Hesitator".

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

NFL records

• First NFL player to rush over 150 yards in his first two playoff games
• Most rushing yards in a player's first two playoff games: 337

Steelers franchise records

• Most rushing yards per game: 86.1
• Most receptions by a running back: 307
• Most receptions by a running back in a season: 85 (2017)
• Most receiving yards by a running back in a season: 854 (2014)
• Most receiving yards in a single game by a running back: 159 (November 30, 2014, against the New Orleans Saints)
• Most scrimmage yards in a season: 2,215 (2014)
• Most rushing yards in a game: 236 (December 11, 2016, against the Buffalo Bills)
• Most rushing yards in a playoff game: 170 (January 15, 2017, in the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs)
• Most games with at least 200 rushing yards: 2 (tied with Willie Parker)

Television and film career

In 2022, Bell competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Milkshake". He was eliminated on "90s Night" alongside Joey Lawrence as "Walrus".

Personal life

Bell was born February 18, 1992, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, to Lisa A. Bell. His mother and grandfather have been lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Throughout his childhood, his mother raised Bell and his siblings by herself and struggled financially. Bell has two older sisters and two younger brothers, both of whom also play football. He cites his high school principal, Donis Toler Jr., and his mother as the two people responsible for helping him achieve his success. Toler was a father figure in Bell's life and helped him get noticed by Michigan State.

He has numerous tattoos including two scriptures. He has Jeremiah 1:5 on his left arm with a picture of his mother embracing him after Michigan State suffered a loss in the Big Ten Championship. Bell also has John 3:16 on his left arm, along with "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

In May 2020, Bell partnered with professional Super Smash Bros. player Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma and esports organization Team Liquid to create an online Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament, The Box. At 8,192 participants, it was the largest Super Smash Bros. tournament of all time. Bell had an overall record of 7–2, finishing just before the round of 256. He used Mega Man throughout the tournament.

Musical career

Bell, going by the stage name "Juice", started his music career with a 16-song album released via SoundCloud on March 27, 2017. On May 27, 2018, Bell released a single titled "Target" responding to critics in regards to his contract dispute with the Steelers among other things. He followed up "Target" with a four-song project titled "My Side of Things" telling his side of the story regarding his second straight contract hold out with the Steelers. On March 13, 2019, Bell released an album called "Life is a Gamble".

Boxing career

Bell had expressed interest in boxing as an alternative career. In December 2021, before the Buccaneers signed him, Bell had planned to retire from the NFL to pursue a professional boxing career. He tweeted a challenge to Jake Paul, accusing him of fighting "small dudes who can't box".

Professional career

Bell vs. Hall

On October 29, 2022, Bell made his professional boxing debut against American mixed martial arts fighter Uriah Hall at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Hall defeated Bell via unanimous decision.

Bell vs. JMX

On March 4, 2023, it was announced that Bell would face British YouTuber JMX as the headline bout for MF & DAZN: X Series 006 at the XULA Convocation Centre in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 21. Bell defeated JMX via unanimous decision.

Exhibition bouts

Bell vs. Peterson

In July 2022, Bell announced that he would sit out the 2022 NFL season to pursue boxing, starting with an exhibition match against fellow NFL veteran Adrian Peterson. The fight was originally scheduled for July 31 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, but was postponed after AnEsonGib, a fighter in the card's main event, had medical issues. On September 10, at Banc of California Stadium, Bell defeated Peterson in a fifth-round technical knockout after knocking Peterson down and Peterson being unable to continue.

Boxing record

Professional

Exhibition

See also

In Spanish: Le'Veon Bell para niños