Former Cleveland Browns star David Bell is suing a surgeon and several healthcare ‘entities’ for more than $300 million over an operation that, Bell claims, nearly took his life and cut short his NFL career.
The wide receiver, a third-round draft pick by the Browns in 2022, played 32 games for Cleveland before a hip injury ended his 2024 season.
He retired in October 2025, aged just 24, claiming that ‘continuing to play football would literally risk life and limb.’ Now, his attorneys argue that ‘what happened to David Bell… is just plain wrong… [and] was totally preventable.’
Bell has filed a civil lawsuit against a surgeon, William Meyers, and Jefferson healthcare entities over what his attorneys call ‘an unnecessary “core muscle repair” surgery.’
It is alleged that Meyers and ‘other defendants participated in a financial scheme that induced Bell to undergo surgery based on misrepresented MRI findings.’
His attorneys claim Bell ‘was not a candidate for the procedure,’ while the lawsuit states: ‘Tragically, Bell awoke from surgery to learn that he had narrowly escaped death due to a vascular injury caused by Defendant Meyers slicing through his femoral artery, necessitating emergency ambulance transport to Thomas Jefferson Hospital and requiring emergency vascular reconstruction.’
David Bell is suing doctors for more than $300 million over an operation that, Bell claims, nearly took his life and cut short his NFL career
He retired in October 2025, claiming that ‘continuing to play… would literally risk life and limb’
The 25-year-old, it’s claimed, needed ’emergency vascular treatment that the complaint describes as “life-saving but career-ending.”‘
Bell’s attorney, Brad Sohn, wrote in a statement on Thursday: ‘We undertook a year-long investigation into this matter in which a number of truly world-leading surgeons and radiologists examined the matter, with many of them doing so on a no-fee basis.
‘The findings were nothing short of astonishing and give us a high degree of confidence we can prove that hundreds of millions of dollars given to Dr Bill Meyers, Dr Adam Zoga, Jefferson, and the Vincera Institute to perform these surgeries were prioritized over the basic medical principle of First Do No Harm.’
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Jefferson said it ‘categorically denies these allegations,’ adding: ‘The physician who performed the procedure at issue is not employed by Jefferson. The surgery that forms the basis of the complaint was not performed at Jefferson. As acknowledged in the pleadings, Jefferson provided life-saving treatment to the patient and will vigorously defend its care and reputation.’
The Daily Mail has also reached out to Dr William Meyers at Vincera Institute for comment.
When he announced his retirement, Bell claimed he had been ‘blindsided by an off-field injury that was beyond my control’ and ‘which put my football future in jeopardy.’
He added: ‘After consulting with medical experts and praying, I accept that continuing to play football would literally risk life and limb.’
