Le’Veon Bell’s latest comments about his time with the New York Jets go well beyond football. The former All-Pro running back has now accused his former head coach, Adam Gase, of repeated drug use inside the team facility.
It’s important to preface that these are Bell’s claims and allegations, not verified facts. Gase has never knowingly been disciplined by the NFL for substance use, and he has not publicly responded to these accusations at this time.
Le’Veon Bell Claims He Spotted Adam Gase Using Drugs Inside Jets Facility
The nature of Bell’s account, and the level of detail he provides, has put the spotlight back on one of the most scrutinized coaching tenures in recent memory. During a recent episode of “Respectfully: The Justin Laboy Show,” Bell didn’t hold back.
“Adam Gase was terrible, bro,” Bell said. “I’m trying to think because when I fast-forward to that stuff, I don’t even know if I want to say it, because he did a lot of things in the office that coaches aren’t supposed to be doing. That’s why he’s not a coach anymore. He shouldn’t even be in the f***ing league.”
After Laboy pressed for details, Bell said that he witnessed Gase snorting cocaine “with my own two (eyes).” Gase is currently the pass game coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I’m like, bro, I didn’t just walk into the office and see my coach [doing that],” Bell said. “We’re about to go to practice! We’ve got practice in 20 minutes. We’ve got a walkthrough. This is what you’re doing in here? … [And] not just once. It wasn’t just one time. That’s what he did. Everybody knew that’s what he did. It was just crazy to actually see it. I had heard all the stories.”
“Adam Gase was out here fried calling plays, bro. He was fried, bro,” Bell said before mentioning that there’s a clip of Gase using smelling salts during a game to “kind of get him right on the sidelines ’cause he didn’t have his normal sh** to put in his nose.”
This is a shocking allegation, but Gase’s Jets tenure is already one of the more controversial in recent memory.
His introductory press conference in 2019 went viral for what fans dubbed “crazy eyes.” At the time, it was brushed off as nerves or caffeine. Bell’s claims suggest players may have interpreted it differently behind the scenes.
In addition to the behind-the-scenes drama, the Jets struggled mightily under Gase. In 2019 season, the Jets’ offense ranked dead last in PFSN’s NFL Offense Impact metric. The Jets were 9-23 under Gase. He has a 32-48 record as a head coach (as he previously served as head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2016 to 2018).
During a separate part of the interview, Bell called out Gase’s play-calling and decision-making.
“I really hated that dude Adam Gase, bro,” Bell added. “He might have been the dumbest coach ever. I promise you, if it’s 2nd and 9 and Adam Gase is the coach, he’s calling a halfback dive. Every time. There’s not one time I was in the huddle on 2nd and 9 or 2nd and 10, and he didn’t call a dive. Anytime I looked at the yard marker on the sideline and saw the play coming in, I didn’t even need to listen. I’d just line up. I already knew the play. He’s about to give me a dive. Worst play in football. Worst coach in the NFL.”
It remains to be seen if Gase or the Chargers will comment following Bell’s allegations.
