Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell has broken his silence on his arrest for allegedly failing to pay a reported $50,000 in child support.
Bell was in Ohio on Sunday for a public event in Canton when he was arrested by local police on a warrant out of Michigan. On Tuesday, the 34-year-old former Pittsburgh Steelers star took to X to write: ‘F*** CHILD SUPPORT.’
He included a crying emoji in the post.
It’s unclear if Bell has been extradited to Michigan yet. The Daily Mail has sought comment from Bell through his attorney, Thomas Shaffer.
Shaffer previously said that the issue stems from Bell’s child support payments being based on his NFL salary, which he hasn’t earned since 2021, when he finished his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
‘Six months ago he cashed in an NFL pension to pay $50,000 in child support for that child,’ Shaffer told the Canton Repository.
Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell has broken his silence on his arrest for allegedly failing to pay a reported $50,000 in child support. On X, Bell wrote : ‘F*** CHILD SUPPORT’
Bell’s career went down hill after he left the Pittsburgh Steelers for the New York Jets
‘His guidelines are still inaccurately being deemed based on his NFL salary and his professional boxing career,’ he said. ‘This is a revolving door because he pays a number that doesn’t reflect his true income. The issue will never end. The court needs to reflect his true income.’
Bell earned more than $45 million in salary over eight NFL seasons, per Spotrac.
The child in question reportedly lives in Michigan, where Bell once played for the Michigan State Spartans prior to his NFL career.
Bell has proven a divisive character since stepping away from the NFL in 2022, with his outlandish behavior on social media often sparking contention.
Amid his support for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, the two-time First Team All-Pro drew heavy criticism after sharing a photo of himself in a T-shirt which labeled his rival Kamala Harris a ‘tramp’.
A number of fans accused him of sexism and misogyny after the offensive slur about Harris, before he went on to taunt them after Trump cruised to victory in the election.
Former Steelers teammates Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell stump for Donald Trump in 2024
Just months later, Bell was forced to deny allegations that he raped his cousin for around a decade – starting when she was just a child.
That was despite a jury ordering in March off 2025 that the woman received damages totaling $25million from Bell and another $11.05m from his brother La’Vonte, according to court documents.
Both La’Vonte and Le’Veon were accused of starting nonconsensual ‘incestual relations’ with her when she was just six to seven years old. The civil complaint says they allegedly continued ‘through at least 2017’ – four years after Bell was drafted into the NFL.
An attorney for Bell initially told TMZ that he ‘adamantly denies’ the allegations in the case. Following the initial report, the ex-football player did a livestream on Twitch, calling the allegations ‘bulls***’ before boasting about his number of sexual partners.
‘Do y’all think Le’Veon Bell… do I need to force myself upon a woman? Anybody? Do I need to force myself upon them? I don’t,’ he said.
‘My number is so high… thousands of women, slayed by the dragon,’ he later continued. ‘I done slayed so many women it’s like a f***ing dragon bro. I’m a dragon slayer out here.’
Bell denied ever forcing himself upon a woman sexually.
Bell made three Pro Bowls, earned two All-Pro first-team selections while earning $45million
A second-round draft pick by the Steelers out of Michigan State in 2013, Bell played five seasons with the Steelers before sitting out the 2018 season in a contract dispute.
He continued his career with the New York Jets (2019-20), Kansas City Chiefs (2020), Baltimore Ravens (2021) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021).
Bell made three Pro Bowls, earned two All-Pro first-team selections and produced three 1,000-yard seasons with the Steelers.
He retired with 9,843 yards from scrimmage (6,554 rushing and 3,289 receiving) and 51 touchdowns in 96 career games (81 starts).
After football, Bell went 2-1 as a professional boxer from 2022-24.
