Ex-NFL Star Le’Veon Bell Ordered to Pay $25 Million to Cousin Who Accused Him of Raping Her When She Was a Child

Matt Rourke/AP

A court ordered retired NFL star Le’Veon Bell to pay $25 million to a family member who accused him of raping her when she was as young as six years old.

According to a lawsuit filed Franklin County, Ohio in March 2024, a woman named Jada Bell claimed to be the cousin of Le’Veon and accused him of being a “nonconsensual, incestuous” relationship with her when she was just six of seven years old. The abuse, Jada alleged, continued for roughly a decade and stopped when she turned 18. Le’Veon — whose most recent moment in the spotlight came during his appearance at a Donald Trump rally — is eight years older than her, and she claimed the abuse would resume whenever he’d return to Ohio from Michigan State — where he played college football.

Just a few weeks ago, as noted in a report by TMZ, a jury awarded Jada $25 million.

In response to the verdict, Thomas W. Shaffer — Le’Veon’s attorney — said his client “adamantly” denied the allegations.

“Further, he was never served with a civil complaint or any documents,” Shaffer continued.

Shaffer added that Bell wasn’t living Ohio at the time he was served.

“The default judgment granted was based upon violations of his Fifth Amendment rights of due process for failing to be served,” he said. “My client is in the process of filing a motion to open and reverse the default judgment because the merits of the case have never been litigated.”