Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell accused his old team of racial bias on Thursday, after the Steelers traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys following a contract dispute.
“I wish Pittsburgh paid their black superstars they drafted just like they pay their white ones they draft,” Bell wrote on X. “… hate to see porter get traded .. I thought same thing with [George] pickens? TJ Watt is worth every penny tho, so let’s not get it confused .. but something needs to change.”
Bell played for the Steelers from 2013 to 2017 and was drafted by the team in the second round in 2013. After three seasons of more than 1,000 rushing yards, the Steelers offered him a five-year, $70 million contract before the 2018 season. Bell has said he came close to accepting the offer but ultimately turned it down over the level of guaranteed money, and the dispute ended his time in Pittsburgh.
When a user on X challenged Bell’s claim by pointing to Black players who have received large contracts from the Steelers, Bell responded that those players had not been drafted by the team.
Records of Steelers contracts show that several Black players who were drafted by the team have since signed significant deals, including running back Jaylen Warren, defensive lineman Keeanu Benton and tight end Darnell Washington. Defensive lineman Cam Heyward, drafted by the Steelers in 2011 and on the roster during Bell’s tenure, has had his contract renegotiated multiple times, including in 2015, 2020, 2024 and before this season.
The Steelers’ current two highest-paid players, linebacker T.J. Watt and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, are white. Rodgers has won four NFL MVP awards. The team’s next seven highest-paid players, and nine of its next ten, are Black, according to payroll figures cited in coverage of the dispute.
Mike Tomlin, who is Black, coached the Steelers for 19 seasons until stepping away this year, including during the period when Bell’s contract offer was made. The team’s current general manager, Omar Khan, is of South Asian and Hispanic descent, with an Indian father and a Honduran mother.
Other Black players who have received large contracts or extensions from the Steelers include receiver DK Metcalf, defensive back Jalen Ramsey, linebacker Patrick Queen and receiver Michael Pittman, who has signed two extensions with the team.
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