<p id=”par-1_88″>Le’Veon Bell’s NFL career didn’t turn out the way he wanted. Bell was a star right out of the draft, and while he had several productive seasons, his <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/what-is-patrick-mahomes-nfl-salary-as-the-kansas-city-chiefs-quarterback.html/”>salary disputes</a> and reputation for being difficult followed him. His personal life doesn’t appear to be shaping up any better. The former NFL star was recently arrested for failing to pay child support. The legal trouble comes a bit more than a year after a jury ordered Bell to pay a sexual assault accuser $25 million. Here’s what is happening.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-le-veon-bell-was-arrested-for-failing-to-pay-child-support”>Le’Veon Bell was arrested for failing to pay child support</h2>
<p id=”par-2_42″>Le’Veon Bell became acquainted with the Stark County Jail this week, after he was arrested in Canton following an autograph signing event. Bell, who was simply working in Ohio, was picked up on a “courtesy hold on behalf of a Michigan court.”</p>
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<p id=”par-3_94″>Bell, who lives in California, shares a child with a woman who lives in Michigan. According to TMZ, the former running back has fallen behind on his child support payments and is now $50,000 in arrears. Bell’s attorney, Thomas Shaffer, spoke to <a href=”https://www.tmz.com/2026/07/20/leveon-bell-arrested-child-support/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>TMZ</a> about the case and argued that the child support calculated by the Michigan court system is inaccurate. Shaffer claims that because Bell is no longer playing football, his child support payments should be reduced to align with his current income, not what he made in the prime of his playing career.</p>
<p id=”par-4_59″>Shaffer also noted that Bell has made efforts to catch up, saying the running back recently used a portion of his NFL pension to put $50,000 toward his child support obligations earlier this year. It’s unclear at this stage what happens next in the legal process or whether additional payments will be required for Bell to resolve the warrant.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-legal-trouble-comes-after-a-hefty-sexual-assault-judgment”>The legal trouble comes after a hefty sexual assault judgment</h2>
<p id=”par-5_52″>Le’Veon Bell’s child support troubles come a year after a jury awarded his cousin and sexual assault accuser $25 million. In March 2024, Le’Veon Bell’s cousin filed a civil lawsuit in Franklin County, Ohio, alleging he sexually abused her starting when she was a child, continuing until she turned 18 in 2017.</p>
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<p id=”par-6_47″>Bell and his brother, La’Vonte, were both named in the suit. Neither responded to the suit. A judge entered a default judgment in October 2024. A jury later awarded the accuser $25 million against Le’Veon ($20 million compensatory, $5 million punitive) and over $11 million against La’Vonte.</p>
<p id=”par-7_33″>Bell has publicly denied the allegations, and alleges he was never properly served. The former NFL star has been actively seeking to reverse the verdict. Bell’s brother, La’Vonte, is not a public figure.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-what-happened-to-le-veon-bell-s-nfl-career”>What Happened to Le’Veon Bell’s NFL Career</h2>
<p id=”par-8_51″>Once upon a time, Le’Veon Bell was in the news for his superhuman sprints down the football field. These days, the news about him has nothing to do with football. Just 34 years old now, Bell technically could have still been playing, but things didn’t go to plan. So, what happened?</p>
<p id=”par-9_90″>Bell was drafted by <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/antonio-brown-just-proved-that-nobody-cares-what-he-says-anymore.html/”>the Pittsburgh Steelers </a>in 2013. At his peak, Bell was widely regarded as one of the best all-purpose backs in the league. Pittsburgh was prepared to consider him the future of their running game, but things ended on a sour note in 2018. Bell sat out the entire 2018 season in a contract dispute with the Steelers. He refused to play under the franchise tag, pushing for a long-term deal. That holdout ultimately fractured his relationship with the organization, and he left in free agency afterward.</p>
<p id=”par-10_69″>Bell’s career never fully recaptured its earlier heights. He spent time with the New York Jets and bounced between a handful of other NFL rosters in the years that followed, but never found a program that fit. He last appeared in an NFL game in 2021, quietly walking off without fanfare. While he’s been busy working, his NFL glory days are clearly over. His legal trouble might not be.</p>