Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell was arrested Sunday in Canton, Ohio, in connection with a child support case, according to TMZ.
Bell, 34, was reportedly taken into custody on a warrant tied to unpaid child support out of Michigan. He lives in California, but was in Canton for an autograph signing before the arrest. The mall’s website listed him for a meet-and-greet event at Belden Village Mall.
TMZ said Bell’s attorney, Thomas Shaffer, described the arrest as being related to “child support payments, or an alleged lack thereof.” Shaffer also told TMZ that Bell has been “struggling to make support payments.”
TMZ released Bell’s mugshot on Monday.
Bell last appeared in an NFL game in 2021. He entered the league in 2013 with the Steelers and spent five seasons in Pittsburgh, where he became one of the league’s top running backs and earned four All-Pro selections. He later played for the Jets, Chiefs, Ravens and Buccaneers, with his final time on Tampa Bay’s roster coming in the 2021 season.
In 2025, an Ohio jury found Bell liable for $25 million in a sexual abuse case brought by a female relative over events that occurred when she was a minor. His brother, La’Vonte, a co-defendant, was ordered to pay $11 million.
Per Fox 8, neither brother responded to Franklin County Court of Common Pleas summonses, which led to a default judgment against them. Neither was criminally charged.
According to TMZ, Bell owes more than $50,000 in child support. The case originated in Michigan, where the child lives.
Bell’s jail record shows he is being held on behalf of “another agency,” per Fox 8.
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