re: L Bell/ L Blount arrested

Florio's opinion

If the Steelers deactivate both for Week One against the Browns, the Steelers will have a harder time holding serve against a division rival. If they do nothing, they’ll contradict the precedent created by the Holmes situation.

Don’t be shocked if the Steelers let this one play out, since neither Bell (who also was charged with DUI) nor Blount will face discipline from the NFL until the legal case is resolved in a way that reflects responsibility of some sort for the charges they face. With a third person in the car who possibly will contend that the 20 grams of marijuana were hers and not theirs, it’s possible that Blount eventually will escape liability. (With police contending that all three already have admitted to possession of marijuana, that one could be hard to pull off.) While the DUI would remain an issue for Bell, a first offense usually results in a two-game fine; marijuana possession routinely triggers a one-game suspension.