Le'Veon Bell says he couldn't help the Steelers as he struggled with a groin injury

LaDainian Tomlinson got way too much grief for being injured and not being able to play for much of the AFC championship game in 2008. The same goes for Jay Cutler coming out of the NFC championship game in 2011 with an injury.

Let’s not let the same thing happen to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell.

Bell was injured on Sunday in the AFC championship game. A groin problem limited him to just six carries for 20 yards. There’s no mystery or conspiracy involved. It’s outrageous to believe a player like Bell, who carried the Steelers to the NFL’s final four and had 337 rushing yards on 59 carries in their first two playoff games, suddenly didn’t want to play. He was injured. It stinks. But it happens.

“I felt like I was holding the team back,” Bell said, according to a video posted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I had no burst.”

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Someone like Bell – or Cutler, or Tomlinson, who were wrongly criticized – doesn’t get to this point in his professional career and quit. If Bell could have played, he would have.

It was certainly bad timing for the Steelers to lose a back like Bell early in their biggest game of the season. It changed how they had to call the game.

“No question, but like I said, injuries are part of the game,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the New England Patriots thumped Pittsburgh, 36-17.

The Steelers have a capable backup in DeAngelo Williams, who came off the bench for 85 total yards. But he’s also not Bell. This is the third straight season the Steelers have lost in the playoffs with Bell out with an injury. That’s not fun, but it’s unavoidable.

“I wish I was out there, obviously,” Bell said after Sunday’s game.

Bell also revealed he had been playing through a groin issue, which makes his incredible second half of the season and playoff run that much more impressive.

“Just over the course of time, I’ve been hurting. So today was kind of like when it broke the camel’s back, you know?” Bell said, according to NFL.com. “I haven’t been really telling people how I really felt.”

Bell was injured in the first quarter, tried to come back but exited again after one play. He tried, but couldn’t go. Sometimes that just happens in football.

Le'Veon Bell missed most of Sunday's AFC championship game with a groin injury. (AP)
Le’Veon Bell missed most of Sunday’s AFC championship game with a groin injury. (AP)

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!