Report: LeGarrette Blount Not Happy After Victory, Becoming 'Internal Problem' For Steelers
BOSTON (CBS) -- When LeGarrette Blount came to New England last year, he did so with a bid of a sordid past. He had his punching incident in college, and that appeared to spill into his pro career, when he punched a teammate when he was a member of the Tennessee Titans.
Yet the Patriots traded for Blount prior to the 2013 season, and the running back was a model citizen during his tenure in New England. He bided his time, sharing the backfield with Stevan Ridley and mostly serving in a part-time role until he exploded for 189 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his final game of the regular season. He kept that going with a 166-yard, four-touchdown showing in the divisional playoffs, and he rode that to sign a two-year contract with the Steelers as a free agent.
Blount knew he'd be sharing the backfield with Le'Veon Bell, but after Monday night's victory, Blount was apparently fed up with his role.
Blount, "apparently upset because he did not have a carry against Tennessee, left the field before the game was over," according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"At least one player thought they should leave [Blount] in Nashville," Bouchette added. "Blount has been an internal problem for at least a month for the Steelers and sources told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he is dragging down star halfback Le'Veon Bell."
Bell was not dragged down in the least on Monday night, when he rushed for 204 yards on 33 carries. It was a tremendous performance, to be sure, but Blount was apparently not very pleased with the fact that he was not given the ball even once in the 27-24 Steelers win.
According to Bouchette, "some players have been pushing for [the team] to release [Blount] because of his poor attitude."
NewsRadio 1020 KDKA's Jeff Hathhorn added to the report, saying that Blount was fully dressed in his street clothes just moments after his teammates came in from the field -- a sign that Blount had indeed walked off the field at least a few minutes early. Blount then left the locker room before Mike Tomlin's postgame speech, but former Steelers linebacker and current assistant coach Joey Porter convinced Blount to return to the locker room for the speech.
"It wasn't loud or anything and just convinces him to come back into the room for Mike Tomlin's post game speech," Hathhorn said. "By the time we were allowed back in [to the locker room], LeGarrette was gone."
Blount has 65 carries for 266 yards and two touchdowns this season, on pace for 58 fewer carries, 385 fewer yards, and four fewer touchdowns than he had last year with the Patriots. His game-high for carries this season is just 10, a number he eclipsed seven times last year.
During the preseason, Blount and Bell were arrested together for possession of marijuana.
UPDATE: The Steelers announced, via Twitter, that they released Blount on Tuesday afternoon.
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