Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark has urged running back Le'Veon Bell to go easier in pre-season after the rookie suffered another injury during Monday's loss to the Washington Redskins.
Bell limped off the field with a damaged foot after just one series having missed the Steelers' opening pre-season match with a knee injury.
Clark acknowledged that the 21-year-old was eager to make an impressive first impression on his teammates, but advised him that he can only help the team if he is fit to play.
"I told him, 'I understand that you want to prove to us that you're tough, that you want to prove to us that you're durable, that you're willing to go out and do whatever it takes to help us, but also understand that we're not going to win the Super Bowl this week. We weren't going to win it last week,'" said Clark, according to ESPN.
"He's proven to me that he wants to be out there, that he wants to try to fight through injury. Now he needs to get himself healthy. I've watched him run the ball in practice enough to know that he can be effective.
"I don't know what the situation is with this injury, but I want him to be fully healthy and be at full speed when he comes back because you don't want these things to continue to nag him not only this year but throughout his career. He has an opportunity to have a long football career. It's not all about today."
Bell could reportedly miss up to six weeks with his latest injury, ruling him out of the Steelers' opening four regular season matches.
Barney Corkhill
