Injury to Le’Veon Bell in 2015 contributed to Steelers voting to eliminate hip-drop tackle

ORLANDO, Fla. — Nine years after the fact, the sight of Le’Veon Bell writhing in pain on the sideline is one that Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II hasn’t forgotten. The Steelers lost Bell, their star running back, to a season-ending injury after he was tackled awkwardly by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict in a game played Nov. 1, 2015. Burfict’s technique, now known as the hip-drop tackle, was legal until this week when NFL owners voted unanimously to ban it from the game. Bell missed the final eight games that season with an injury to his MCL thanks to Burfict leaving his feet and landing with all of his weight hitting the running back’s legs. “We’ve had concerns about…