Conner says Bell's supportive, not selfish

The main beneficiary of Le'Veon Bell's extended holdout has been second-year running back James Conner, who's excelled as the Pittsburgh Steelers' primary ball carrier in the All-Pro's absence.

While some have criticized Bell's contract standoff as a me-first move in a team-oriented sport, including some members of Pittsburgh's offensive line, Conner defended his fellow tailback during a Thursday appearance on FS1's "First Things First."

"Anytime I do something good on the field, I always come back to the locker room (to) a text from him saying 'good game' or 'nice move right there,'" Conner said Thursday, according to Sean Gentille of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"Me and Le'Veon are super cool. He's a great person. With him holding out, people are going to call him selfish, but that's not the case at all. It's just business, and that's my guy."

Bell showed his support for Conner during Week 6, tweeting about his teammate's 111-yard rushing performance.

Bell has missed the first six weeks of the season as he looks to secure a game-changing extension. He was apparently due to return to the Steelers this week, with Pittsburgh on its bye, but the team reportedly doesn't expect to see the 26-year-old.