Le’Veon Bell is headed to prison

Former NFL star Le'Veon Bell is back in the news, this time for legal reasons.

The 34-year-old former running back was arrested in Ohio after failing to make child support payments, according to several U.S. media outlets.

According to reports, Bell owes more than $50,000 in back payments. His arrest came shortly after an autograph signing event he attended in his home state. He remains in custody at a Stark County facility pending further proceedings.

His attorney, Thomas Shaffer, maintains, however, that the situation is more complex than it appears. According to him, the required payments were established at a time when Bell was still earning the substantial income of an active NFL player—a reality that no longer reflects his current financial situation.

The defense also asserts that the former player has already drawn on his savings to meet part of his obligations. Earlier this year, he reportedly used his entire retirement fund—valued at approximately $50,000—to make a payment.

This case adds to a series of legal difficulties Bell has faced in recent years. In 2025, he was ordered in absentia to pay $25 million in damages in a civil lawsuit for sexual assault after failing to appear in court.

A brilliant career that ended far from the top

Le'Veon Bell played his final NFL season in 2021. Over the course of his career, he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Jets, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Considered one of the best running backs of his generation at his peak, Bell shook up the NFL in 2018 when he refused to play under the franchise tag offered by the Steelers, choosing to sit out the entire season in hopes of securing a more lucrative contract.

The following year, he signed a deal worth over $50 million with the New York Jets. Despite this major contract, he never regained the level of performance that had made him one of the league's most dominant offensive players.

Today, the former player faces a very different reality, as his legal and financial troubles now overshadow the successes he once enjoyed on the NFL field.