New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell did not play in Sunday's win over the division rival Miami Dolphins because he was reportedly recovering from the flu, but that didn't stop him from posting a career-high at the bowling alley late Saturday night. Bell addressed the bizarre bowling controversy following Tuesday's practice, as he joked with reporters, "The bigger surprise is I rolled a 251 off the flu."
He added, "I don't feel bad about what I did. I didn't break any rules. I wasn't a distraction until now."
According to the New York Post, Bell was at Boonton Lanes in New Jersey from approximately 10:30pm on Saturday night to 1:00am, which had Jets fans wondering how sick he truly was. However, Bell claims his sickness was no bullshit, saying he wanted to play against Miami but he had dropped nine pounds.
"They weren't sure about my energy and hydration, so they held me out of the game," Bell said, per ESPN. "But they advised me to get out of the house and move a little bit. I had a lot of family and friends there because they were expecting me to play. Everybody was at my house, just kind of looking at me. I felt better, I felt a lot better, so we went out bowling and had fun."
For what it's worth, Bell's backup, Bilal Powell, has also reportedly come down with the flu this week. Powell is likely to miss Thursday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens, but Bell is expected to make his return.