Just a week ago, running back Le’Veon Bell was ready to hang up the cleats in favor of some boxing gloves.
He even was Tweeting at YouTube star-turned-fighter Jake Paul trying to set up a match. But while working out in recent days, he got a call from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looking to sign him.
Bell told reporters Wednesday that the Bucs likely were the only team who could motivate him to return to the NFL.
“I’m not even going to lie, I got to the point where I had thought about kind of calling it quits just because of the fact that it kind of wasn’t working out for me the last couple spots I had been at,” Bell said, via a team-provided transcript.
“This was literally the only spot that I felt like could have made me want to play football and go out there and be excited to play. This was like literally the only place that could have called me and got me to really go play. I was going to go start focusing on boxing, but I think this was a great opportunity. It’s something you can’t really turn down, playing with Coach (Bruce) Arians, Tom Brady and obviously A.B. (Antonio Brown). They’ve got a good thing going over here. To come over here and try to help — I’m going to try to do my thing.”
The Buccaneers needed reinforcements with running back Leonard Fournette likely headed to injured reserve and receiver Chris Godwin suffering a season-ending torn ACL.
Bell has had a tumultuous last few years, holding out from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018, struggling with the New York Jets, spending a year in Kansas City with the Chiefs and then getting released from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad on Nov. 16.
He got down on himself the last few weeks wondering if any teams would call him, but finally a good situation came about.
“This is it,” Bell said. “This is what I’ve been waiting for. This is the time. I think all the workouts and boxing I have been doing to stay in shape, I think it’s only going to help me for when I’m on the field because this is literally the best physical form I feel like I’ve ever been in in my life. I’m excited.”
