Le'Veon Bell will not play with the Pittsburgh Steelers this season after failing to show up Tuesday to sign his $14.5 million franchise tender. Bell also is not expected to play another game in a Steelers uniform.
In light of Tuesday's developments, the patented rite of disgruntled fans burning the jersey of the player that spurned their beloved team has begun.
The case can be made that it's somewhat foolish to burn a jersey in such a manner when it could still serve a purpose by being donated to charity.
That said, for Steelers fans who want to burn a Bell jersey but don't own one and would prefer not to plunk down a bunch of money just to stage a fiery protest, there is good news.
The Pittsburgh Fan, an apparel and memorabilia store located across from PNC Park -- home of the Pittsburgh Pirates -- issued a tweet Tuesday saying it will sell Bell jerseys at $40 a pop. They normally are priced around $100.
A cutting edge
A former NFL player who left threatening voice mails for a youth football player was arrested Monday for wielding a sword at a New Jersey youth basketball event.
Charlie Rogers, a former running back who played five seasons with Seattle, Buffalo and Miami, was arrested by the Aberdeen, N.J., police for bringing the sword to, and making terroristic threats at, an October basketball event for parents of a travel basketball team. Rogers turned himself in Monday, and he also was charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, stalking and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Rogers, 42, had caused further problems for himself earlier this year. Over the summer, Rogers left a profanity-filled voice mail for the father of an 11-year-old football player on another team. In the voice mail, Rogers -- then a coach with Matawan American Youth Football -- threatened to "blitz every play until your guy comes out of the game."
Neither heads nor tails
A British soccer referee has been suspended for a "moment of madness" after he asked two team captains to play rock, paper, scissors to decide a kickoff.
David McNamara asked the women to take part in the playground game ahead of a Women's Super League (WSL) match in October because he found himself without a coin to flip.
The incident -- which fell afoul of the sport's regulatory body, the Football Association (FA) -- occurred Oct. 26 at Manchester City's home game against Reading. Manchester City captain Steph Houghton found herself in the bizarre situation alongside visiting captain Kirsty Pearce.
Joanna Stimpson, the women's refereeing manager for the FA, told The Times newspaper that the mistake was a "moment of madness."
"The referee forgot his coin, and in that moment, in a TV game, he was really pushed for time," she said. "He should have been more prepared. He should have had a coin. It was disappointing, it's not appropriate, it's very unprofessional."
Sports on 11/15/2018