Injury to Le'Veon Bell in 2015 contributed to Steelers voting to eliminate hip-drop tackle

ORLANDO, Fla. — Nine years after the fact, the sight of Le’Veon Bell writhing in pain on the sideline is one Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II hasn’t forgotten.

The Steelers lost Bell, their star running back, to a season-ending injury after he was tackled awkwardly by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict in a game played Nov. 1, 2015. Burfict’s technique, now known as the hip-drop tackle, was legal until this week when NFL owners voted unanimously to ban it from the game.

Bell missed the final eight games that season with an injury to his MCL thanks to Burfict leaving his feet and landing with all of his weight hitting the running back’s legs.

“We’ve had concerns about it for a while now,” Rooney II said Tuesday as the NFL annual meeting concluded at the Ritz-Carlton resort. “The biggest question is our officials have a hard enough job, and it is a hard foul to call. It could be interesting to see how it gets called.

“No question, it can be a dangerous play.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he expects officials to go through a transition period before they penalize players on a consistent basis.

“We had this when we (banned) the lowering of the head,” Goodell said. “We’re going to make sure the officials, if they see something clear and obvious, they throw the flag. Otherwise, we will see it on videotape Monday, and we’ll deal with it with fines and discipline.”

The NFL players association has voiced its dissatisfaction with the rule, saying it makes it increasingly difficult for defensive players to tackle.

“It’s a play that has a 20-times injury rate,” Goodell said. “From that standpoint, you can’t allow it. We’ve been very effective and very clear that when we see a technique that is going to (decrease) the safety of a player — I’m not sure we’ve ever had anything at that rate — we’re going to remove it from the game.”

International appeal

With the NFL awarding Germany to the Steelers for global marketing purposes, it gives the Steelers a third international partner, joining Ireland and Mexico.

The Steelers have stated an intention to play in those countries. Now, a third is added to the rotation.

“We would love to play a game in all of those places,” Rooney said. “I’m not sure how quickly that will happen. It will be a while before we get to all of them. We’ve love to play games in markets where we have that opportunity.”

The NFL hasn’t announced the Philadelphia Eagles’ opponent for their season-opening game in Brazil. It is Rooney’s belief that the Steelers are not under consideration. Cleveland is one of the frontrunners.

Merry Christmas?

The NFL announced that two games will be played this season on Christmas even though the holiday falls on a Wednesday. That means the teams involved in the Christmas doubleheader will play their previous game Saturday.

It also will mean three games in an 11-day span for those teams, a quick turnaround the Steelers were forced to play in 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic. The days in between games will match teams that have a Thursday game after playing Sunday.

“We’ve done this,” Goodell said. “It will not be a regular thing, only when Christmas falls on a Wednesday. … I think we have this down.”

The Steelers are 2-0 in Christmas games, beating the Baltimore Ravens in 2016 and then defeating the Houston Texans on the road the next season.

“You have to be flexible and be willing to go where your fans are,” Rooney said. “It’s become a popular day for our games, and we’ll continue to see it.”

Questionable grades

Rooney didn’t hold back his displeasure with the NFLPA regarding the report cards that were released at the NFL Combine. The Steelers were knocked for treatment of families (an F- grade), locker room conditions (F) and ownership’s willingness to address player-related issues (F).

“We’d prefer to get our feedback directly from the players,” Rooney said. “We’re not even sure where that comes from. It doesn’t get presented to us. It gets presented to the media. As far as I’m concerned, it’s more of a media opportunity for the players association as opposed to a serious effort at constructive criticism.

“But having said that, we look at improving our facilities every year, and we’ll continue to do that.”