FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell ripped the NFL for its drug-testing policy, implying Wednesday on Twitter that he’s being unfairly targeted.
“I done had 5 ‘random’ HGH blood test in 10 weeks,” Bell tweeted, adding that he wants the league to concentrate on finding those who are violating the rules and to stop coming after him “with those dirty ass needles.”
I done had 5 “random” HGH blood test in 10 weeks…@NFL I’m not doing another after today, whatever y’all lookin for it obviously ain’t there & I’m not about to keep allowing y’all to stick me with those dirty ass needles..find the players who really do that HGH BS & get off me..
— Le’Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) November 20, 2019
The former Pittsburgh Steelers star was suspended two games in 2014 after he was charged with marijuana possession and DUI. In 2016, he was suspended four games for missing a drug test.
you don’t need my blood to test me for marijuana weirdo…I can easily pee in a cup https://t.co/dpLMxC5P8C
— Le’Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) November 20, 2019
Jets coach Adam Gase said he was aware of Bell’s tweet.
“[Bell] never said anything to me about it,” Gase said. “It’s something out of our control.”
Bell’s drug tests made news at the start of training camp, when he was pulled out of practice on consecutive days to take league-mandated tests. At the time, the Jets said Bell was hit with multiple tests because he skipped the voluntary portion of the offseason program, when testing began.
This wasn’t the first time that Bell publicly criticized the league’s drug-testing policy on Twitter. In April 2016, he mocked the randomness of the policy.
The NFL isn’t directly involved in the testing, according to a league spokesman. It’s a collectively bargained policy between the NFLPA and the NFL, with a jointly appointed administrator running the program. Neither the NFL, the NFLPA nor any club directs the specific testing schedule or decides which players will be tested, the spokesman said.
The policy states players not in “reasonable-cause testing” shall not be subject to more than six blood tests per calendar year.
Each week during the preseason and regular season, by means of a computer program, five players from eight randomly selected teams are picked for tests. Players are required to submit to testing whenever they are selected, without regard to the number of times they have previously been tested consistent with the policy.
Statistically, Bell, 27, is having the worst season of his career. Playing behind a shaky offensive line, which has used six different lineup combinations, Bell has rushed for only 508 yards on 161 carries — a 3.2 average.
Bell has 46 receptions, tied for second on the team. He has four touchdowns, tied for the team lead.
The Jets made Bell the centerpiece of their offseason spending spree, signing him to a four-year, $52.5 million contract that included $27 million in fully guaranteed money at signing.