Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount played in last week's contest because coach Mike Tomlin believed it would be more reward than punishment to miss a preseason game.
On Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach reiterated that the duo would be punished by the team over the marijuana charges.
"Everything's on the table," Tomlin said, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The Ross Township, Pennsylvania Police Department confirmed to NFL Media last week that the running backs were pulled over last Wednesday around 1:30 p.m. ET, just hours before the team was to fly to Philadelphia.
Possession of marijuana charges were filed Thursday, the same day Bell and Blount returned to the field for preseason action against the Eagles. Bell faces an additional charge of DUI (marijuana).
While the NFL will likely wait until the legal process runs its course to hand down any suspension, Tomlin indicated the team might not wait to take action. However, he didn't reveal what type of action (suspension or otherwise) he's leaning toward.
"We don't do it in a reactionary fashion," Tomlin said. "We don't wait for something to happen. That's part of our culture here. You are going to have people who step outside the bounds of that and they're going to be dealt with swiftly and appropriately, more times than not in-house. But the bottom line is we don't approach that in a reactionary fashion. Our business is too late then."
UPDATE: At least part of that punishment appears to be continuing to make Bell and Blount participate in the preseason. While most starters and veterans get the night off during the final preseason game, Tomlin said Tuesday both running backs "absolutely" will play Thursday against the Carolina Panthers.Â
The "Around The League Podcast" reviews all of the action from Week 3 of the preseason. Get it while it's hot!
