Drake Bell Calls Out Will Friedle, Rider Strong Over Brian Peck Defense

Drake Bell is putting Will Friedle and Rider Strong on blast for their prior defense of sex offender Brian Peck ... slamming them for what he claims is a lack of an apology.

The former Nickelodeon star -- who recently came forward with sexual abuse allegations against his ex-dialogue coach -- called out the "Boy Meets World" alums on Instagram Thursday as fans began suggesting Will and Rider were victims too in all this.

While some defended that Will and Rider were manipulated by Brian into defending him --remember, they'd each written letters on Peck's behalf in his criminal case from 2004 -- Drake wasn't ready to let them off the hook.

As Drake put it ... Will and Rider weren't minors at the time of the case. Apparently, the two TV stars were 27 and 24 when this all happened ... and DB claims Brian even told them what he had done when he was enlisting their help.

Drake also alleged Will never said a word about the letter he wrote for Brian when they worked together on the Disney XD show, "Ultimate Spider-Man," years later.

Drake alleged that Will and Rider's recent comments about the situation on their podcast were just their way of trying to get ahead of the story. He added ... "Everyone thought the letters would be sealed forever and no one would ever see them."

Will and Rider paint a different picture, of course ... previously claiming on a February episode of "Pod Meets World" that they regretted their involvement in the case. They claimed that they didn't know the full extent of the allegations made against Brian -- which included performing a lewd act with a 14 or 15-year-old and oral copulation with a minor under 16.