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Report: Le'Veon Bell facing 4-game suspension for drug test violation

Mike DiNovo / USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's drug policy, ESPN's Dan Graziano reports.

The suspension is the result of a missed drug test rather than a failed test and is still under appeal, according to Graziano.

It would be a second drug-related suspension in two seasons for Bell, who was banished for the first three games of the 2015 season (later reduced to two) as the result of a 2014 arrest for marijuana possession and DUI.

Bell joked on Twitter this spring that he got a "random" drug test on 4/20, a date often associated with marijuana culture, adding "good luck with that sample."

In a subsequent tweet, Bell asserted that "they" (ostensibly the NFL) want him off the field.

Considered to be one of the NFL's premier offensive players, Bell played only six games last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Recent reports pegged him as likely to be ready to return for Week 1.

If this reported four-game ban sticks, Bell won't return to the field until the Steelers' game against the New York Jets on Oct. 9.

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