LeGarrette Blount's Exit From Pittsburgh Steelers Another Conspiracy For New England Patriots

LeGarrette Blount was brought to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014 as a safety net for Le’Veon Bell. He was sparingly used, only reaching double figures in carries twice, and usually found himself with 4-5 carries per game.

So it was rather odd when Blount was apparently outraged after a November 17 game against the Tennessee Titans, in which he failed to receive a carry. It was a game where his friend and counterpart Bell was unstoppable, rushing for over 200 yards. Blount stormed off the field before the game ended and the Steelers promptly cut him. Days later, he was back with his former team, the New England Patriots, and was a key contributor to the offense the remainder of the season.

This of course happened after Stevan Ridley had been declared out for the season. It happened after Shane Vereen was clearly becoming a pass catching back only and had no ability to carry the load. It happened after it was clear Brandon Bolden was never going to be heavily involved in a game plan.

It happened right when the only viable runner the Patriots had was Jonas Gray, and Blount happened to arrive at the Patriots’ facility the same day Gray was kicked out of practice for being late, never to be heavily involved in a game plan again.

It instantly seemed odd that Blount was outraged by his lack of playing time when Bell had emerged as a star and was in the midst of a 200-yard day. It seemed odder that Blount found himself back with his former team that found themselves lacking in running back depth. It seems very possible that Bill Belichick might have sent Blount a text and said if he could somehow find himself available,  he would find himself on the Patriots.

After Spygate, Deflategate, and so many other controversies surrounding the Patriots, they’ve lost any benefit of the doubt. Whether rules are broken or merely bent, the Patriots definitely look for any way to get a leg up on the competition, so combing through rosters of players who aren’t available doesn’t seem unlikely either.

Blount has spent Super Bowl week denying that he did any such thing and that he had no idea the Patriots had any interest in him. Of course, if Blount admits that he had any contact with the Patriots, New England would be hit with tampering and it would be another major issue for the franchise. Blount’s denial is hardly believable.

Blount’s departure from Pittsburgh seemed bizarre at the time, and seeing how he found himself plugged into the Patriots’ lineup a few days later and was a key contributor moving forward, topping it off with a monstrous performance against the Indianapolis Colts, it looks like there is yet another Patriots conspiracy that has people turning their heads.

Bill Zimmerman is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.Com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.