PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) -- For one afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned into Pittsburgh pirates.
Bud Dupree climbed on a chair in front of the locker that used to belong to Le'Veon Bell and began to pillage. More players followed suit.
Bell's nameplate had already been removed, as the All-Pro running back will not play for the Steelers again.
Soon after Dupree was finished, a Steelers staffer got a ladder and pulled down a box of cleats. Players began to divide them up. One player held up one of Bell's suits, joking, "Does anyone want a free suit?"
For a brief moment, chaos struck a corner of the Steelers South Side practice facility that has been quiet since last January.
But, in front of microphones and cameras, Steelers players were more subdued.
"No drama," center Maurkice Pouncey said. "You guys made it drama. We just went out there and played football."
Before speaking, Pouncey told reports, "I don't talk about players who aren't on our team," instructing the media to not ask about Bell, who will sit out the entire season instead of playing under a $14.5 million franchise tag.
"My hat's off to him," guard Ramon Foster said. "He's a great guy, he's done a lot of great things for us. It is what it is."
Foster, back in Week One, was critical of Bell for his lack of communication with his intentions. Bell had initially said that he would arrive the first week, but did not.
"That's his business," Foster said. "He rolled with it how he wanted to roll with it, him and his team. They released his stuff to you all. So you guys find a time to pick an interview with him and his team."
