Le’Veon Bell did not want to be slapped with a franchise tag for a second straight year. In fact, he objected to the idea so strenuously that he threatened to retire from football if the Steelers franchised him once again, which the team did in March.
So it was not much surprise Saturday to hear Bell rapping about the tag, among many other subjects, on a new song called “Target.” Here’s how the first verse began:
So they put me on the tag, ah
Definitely not gon’ trip, I got that bag, ah
Wonder why they treat me like the bad guy
You say I ain’t the best, but that’s a bad lie
During the three-and-a-half-minute song, Bell addressed his various haters, while commenting on his playing career. In the second verse, he alluded to the offseason workouts he declined to participate in this spring, as well as his two drug-related suspensions.
You think if I sat out, I’d be sluggish
You think they won’t pay me ’cause a drug test
Fun fact, I ain’t never failed one, that’s on me
You so worried ’bout the weed, what about those PEDs
Bell was suspended two games in 2015 after a marijuana-related arrest and then sidelined for three more games in 2016 after missing a random NFL drug test.
Bell’s overriding message, as conveyed by his chorus, is that his critics target him, but ultimately there’s not much he can do about it.
I don’t know what they call it out here
This hatin’ and talkin,’ I guess that makes me a target
I see that they wanna judge me by what goes in my wallet
I ball like I’m Ben Wallace, I can’t do a thing about it, oh
Overall, the song is pretty catchy (though the “point, aim” part is more than a little tedious). Maybe if Bell ever follows through on his threat to quit football he can find a career in the music industry.
