Le'Veon Bell accused the Pittsburgh Steelers of racial bias in player compensation, suggesting they treat black and white draftees differently based on their handling of cornerback Joey Porter Jr.'s trade. However, Bell overlooks that the team offered him a $70 million contract as a Black draft pick before his departure due to contract disputes. The article counters Bell's claims by highlighting that Pittsburgh has paid many of its top players regardless of race, with multiple high-profile black players receiving significant contracts.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-01,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Le'Veon Bell has accused the Pittsburgh Steelers of racial bias regarding player contracts. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bell claimed that the team trades Black players like cornerback Joey Porter Jr., while offering lucrative deals to white players, such as linebacker T.J. Watt. This criticism came after Bell’s own contract dispute with the Steelers in 2013 when he was drafted and later left due to disagreements over compensation.
Bell specifically mentions that Porter Jr. was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, while Watt continues to receive significant pay despite the team's handling of Black players differently during contract negotiations. Bell argues this disparity reflects racial bias in how the Steelers value their talent based on race.
Written for “Racial Bias Accusations Steelers” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Le'Veon Bell is among the Pittsburgh Steelers most productive running backs of all time, joining a list that includes multiple Hall of Famers.
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that → join → Famers
But as an observer of how his former teams do business, Bell put himself in the Hall of Shame on Thursday.
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Bell → put → Thursday
Bell, who played for the Steelers from 2013-17, saw his former team trade cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys overnight after a contract dispute and decided it was all about race.
Because Porter is Black.
No, seriously.
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Porter → play → race
"I wish Pittsburgh paid their black superstars they drafted just like they pay their white ones they draft," Bell posted on X on Thursday afternoon.
" ... hate to see porter get traded ..
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porter → wish → afternoon
I thought same thing with [George] pickens?
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I → think → pickens
TJ Watt is worth every penny tho, so let's not get it confused .. but something needs to change."
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something → let → ?
Now, Bell has said some wild stuff in the past.
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Bell → say → past
But someone needs to jar Bell's memory and adjust his grasp of facts to get him off this race-baiting narrative.
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someone → need → narrative
Bell, you see, is not an honest broker.
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you → see → ?
He was drafted in the second round by the Steelers in 2013 and after three 1,000-yard-plus seasons, the Steelers tried to pay him.
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Steelers → draft → him
And that led to a contract dispute that ultimately ended his career in Pittsburgh.
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that → lead → Pittsburgh
But before that happened, the Steelers offered to pay him $70 million on a five-year contract before the 2018 season.
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Steelers → happen → season
That offer from eight years ago, before the NFL salary cap jumped seven times, would be competitive with most running back contracts today.
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cap → jump → contracts
But Bell, who has admitted he came close to accepting the offer, ultimately turned it down based on his desire for greater guarantees.
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he → admit → guarantees
What matters is that Bell lived through a negotiation where he, as a Black Steelers draft pick, was offered a lucrative contract by the Steelers.
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he → matter → Steelers
And still on Thursday he's saying the Steelers don't pay their Black draft picks like they do their White ones.
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they → say → picks
The racist undertones of Bell's post also flies in the face of the fact that the Steelers, at the time of his offer, were coached by Mike Tomlin, who coached the team for 19 years until he stepped away this year.
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he → fly → years
And those are the people who only want to pay White players?
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who → want → players
Pittsburgh's two-highest-paid players today are Watt and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
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players → pay → ?
But that has nothing to do with their pay because Watt is the team's best and most accomplished player and Rodgers is the quarterback who has earned the right to be highly-paid after winning four MVP awards ... and, did we mention he's the quarterback?
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he → have → awards
But Pittsburgh's next seven highest-paid players are Black.
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players → pay → ?
And Pittsburgh's next nine of 10 highest-paid players are Black.
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players → pay → ?
The team has shown zero compunction about paying Black players.
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team → show → players
Receiver DK Metcalf got a big contract from the Steelers.
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Metcalf → get → Steelers
Defensive back Jalen Ramsey got a big contract extension from the Steelers.
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Ramsey → get → Steelers
Linebacker Patrick Queen got a big contract from the Steelers.
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Queen → get → Steelers
Receiver Michael Pittman has gotten two big contract extensions from the Steelers.
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Pittman → get → Steelers
Someone challenged Bell about these facts beneath his post.
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Someone → challenge → post
And the former running back, who may be suffering from too many blows to the head, shot back that none of those players were drafted by the Steelers.
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none → suffer → Steelers
Except, running back Jaylen Warren got a big contract from the Steelers, as did defensive lineman Keeanu Benton, as did tight end Darnell Washington.
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Washington → get → Steelers
All were drafted by the Steelers.
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All → draft → Steelers
All got paid.
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All → pay → ?
He was drafted by the team in 2011, so he was there when Bell was on the team.
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Bell → draft → team
The Steelers renegotiated Heyward's rookie deal, rewarding him with more money before that initial contract expired.
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contract → renegotiate → money
Then they paid him again in 2015, 2020, 2024 and before this season.
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they → pay → season
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