First Call: Baltimore DB takes a shot at new Steelers LB; Le’Veon Bell’s name removed from high school field
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Monday’s “First Call” features a Baltimore Raven who is lashing out at new Pittsburgh Steeler Malik Harrison. The Steelers apparently have eyes for a pair of Ole Miss defensive linemen in the draft.
Gambling odds are out for Robert Morris in the NCAA Tournament. The Duquesne women’s hoops team will keep playing.
And the news keeps getting worse for former Steeler Le’Veon Bell.
Squawking Raven
For the second year in a row, the Steelers signed a former Baltimore Raven linebacker in free agency.
Last spring, it was Patrick Queen. This year, it was Malik Harrison. On Thursday, Harrison officially inked a two-year contract to switch teams in the AFC North. That didn’t go over well with current Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey.
It’s 31 other teams and you pick the yellow team… @Leek_39 honestly screw you
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) March 14, 2025
Humphrey also took shots at Queen during his podcast when he left Baltimore for Pittsburgh in advance of the 2024 campaign.
Queen had one of his better games of ‘24 against the Ravens when the teams first met at Acrisure Stadium in November. He had 10 tackles and recovered a fumble that he also forced. During the regular season rematch in Maryland five weeks later, Humphrey had a pick-6 against Russell Wilson.
MARLON HUMPHREY PICK-6 ????
????: #PITvsBAL on FOX
????: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/RRFJ8ehfrP— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2024
Via SteelersNow.com, 30 Ravens and Steelers have played games on both sides of the rivalry. Nine of those 30 were active for one team or the other in 2024.
Looking along the line
We all know the Steelers need to bolster defensive line depth, especially after releasing Larry Ogunjobi. They took a step in that direction Sunday night by signing former New England Patriot Daniel Ekuale.
As mined at SteelersDepot.com, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger told All Access Football, that the Steelers are headed to Mississippi’s Pro Day on March 28 to watch two specific defensive linemen: Walter Nolen and Jared Ivey. Baldinger said someone in the Steelers personnel department mentioned those two names to him.
At 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, Nolan is rated as the second-best defensive tackle in the draft, according to ESPN.com. He is the 16th-best pick on the board. Ivey (6-foot-5, 265) is the 20th rated edge rusher. He’s ranked 113 overall.
Ole Miss also boasts J.J. Pegues who is the 13th best DT on ESPN.com’s list, and slots roughly as a mid-late third-round pick. He can help on offense too. At 6-foot-2, 325 pounds, Pegues rushed for seven touchdowns last season.
I know it’s a loaded RB class but sometimes I think we don’t talk enough the fact that Ole Miss DT JJ Pegues is 6-2, 325 pounds and rushed for 7 touchdowns last season. Weapon pic.twitter.com/xx5IgFLPKK
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 4, 2025
ESPN.com’s third-best quarterback is Jaxson Dart. But neither he nor Pegues were mentioned by the Steelers’ source to Baldinger.
Swift reaction
According to WCMH-TV, Groveport Madison Schools has removed Le’Veon Bell’s name from its high school football stadium. This news comes in the wake of a court judgment of $25 million to a woman who accused the former Steeler of sexually assaulting her when she was underage.
The school district tells the television station that Bell had his name removed after “a thorough review of the contractual agreement governing the field naming rights at Cruiser Stadium.” It claims that they have a clause in the contract that states that “any offense … involving moral turpitude shall entitle the district to terminate the contract.”
Also, the school insists that Bell never finished his pledged payments for the naming rights, coming up $450,00 short of his promised total of $750,00.
In a 2022 lawsuit, a woman claimed Bell and his brother La’Vonte engaged in encounters with her beginning when she was 6 or 7 years old, during “frequent returns to central Ohio during (Le’Veon Bell’s) college years and beyond.”
Bell has denied the claims, but only after the judgment was rendered, insisting he was never served the proper paperwork. He was hit with the default judgment after he never replied to the lawsuit nor showed up for a trial to determine damages.
More sports
• Steelers agree to terms with former Patriots DT Daniel Ekuale
• Robert Morris gets 15 seed, will face Alabama in NCAA Tournament at Cleveland
• New-look 3rd line finding early success for Penguins
Longest of shots
Gambling odds are out for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and Robert Morris is one of the longest shots you can find.
The 15th-seeded Colonials (26-8) are 22.5-point underdogs against No. 2 seed Alabama. That’s the widest spread of any 2-15 game on the board, according to BetMGM.com. The Crimson Tide went 25-8 this year and finished third in the powerhouse SEC conference. Coach Nate Oats’ club was a Final Four team a year ago.
ESPN.com’s matchup predictor is giving RMU just a 3% chance of winning.
In the other 2-15 matchups, Tennessee is a 19.5 favorite over Wofford. Michigan State is an 18.5 favorite over Bryant. St. John’s is also an 18.5 favorite over Omaha.
RMU is one of 22 teams at plus-50,000 to win the tournament. All of those teams are 12-seeds or higher.
Continuing on
The 2024-25 Duquesne University women’s basketball team will write another chapter.
For the second consecutive year, the team has been given a spot in the 48-team field of the 2025 Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The competition begins Thursday and runs through April 2. Brackets and seeding have yet to be announced; that will happen today.
This is the 11th time in program history the Dukes will compete in the WNIT. Under head coach Dan Burt, Duquesne has earned a spot in the tournament six times.
Last year, the Dukes beat Monmouth 69-65 in overtime of the first round before losing to Purdue 71-50 in the second round.