LeGarrette Blount Released by Steelers After Leaving Field Early vs. Titans

Pittsburgh Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount left the field early during the team's game against Tennessee on Monday, reportedly angry over his usage in the team's game plan.

The running back was released on Tuesday.

Continue for updates.

Tuesday, Nov. 18

Blount Released Following Early Exit vs. Titans

The Pittsburgh Steelers confirmed that they have released LeGarrette Blount:

Monday, Nov. 17

Pittsburgh Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount figured if he wasn't going to be used in Monday night's 27-24 win over the Tennessee Titans, he might as well head home early.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Blount was disappointed he didn't carry the ball once against the Titans:

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He dressed and left the locker room, apparently headed for the team bus that would take them to the airport. At least one player thought they should leave him in Nashville.

Blount has been an internal problem for at least a month for the Steelers and sources told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he is dragging down star halfback Le’Veon Bell, even though that obviously was not the case Monday night when Bell ran 33 times for 204 yards.

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Grantland's Bill Barnwell was baffled by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin relying so heavily on Le'Veon Bell when he had Blount to bring off the bench:

Blount did have a little fun in the fourth quarter, helping out Bell with a touchdown celebration, per NFL on ESPN:

Concern over carries isn't a recent issue for the 27-year-old. Back in October, he went on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh and discussed his role in the offense:

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I don't think we've balanced things out a lot. With him getting the bulk of the carries, but the fact that it's working, I can't complain. We're winning games like that. I've been a featured back in this league. I was a starter with one of the best teams in the league last year. Obviously I want the ball more.

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Blount signed a two-year deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason. He was coming off of a largely successful season with the New England Patriots in which he rushed for 772 yards and seven touchdowns.

Blount is on pace to carry the ball roughly 95 times this year, down from 153 with the Pats in 2013. You can understand why he might be a little distressed about his lack of touches.

With that said, leaving the field before the game is over isn't a good way for a player to endear himself to the coaching staff. The team could mete out some sort of punishment for Blount as a result, in addition to pushing him further on the periphery.

Given how well Bell ran against the Titans, there's even less reason for the Steelers to mess with how they're using their running backs.