Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver David Bell has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $300 million from surgeon Dr. William Meyers, Jefferson Health and 14 other parties. The complaint, filed in Philadelphia, alleges that an operation Bell did not need caused severe bleeding, lasting physical harm and the end of his professional football career. The defendants had not filed a formal response in court, according to the supplied report. The allegations have not been established in court.
The lawsuit traces the events to an injury Bell suffered to his hip during the second week of the 2024 NFL season. Bell alleges that doctors relied on misleading scan results to persuade him to undergo core muscle surgery, also known as a sports hernia repair. The complaint claims the procedure was unnecessary and characterizes the case as part of a broader, profit-driven practice of directing professional athletes toward operations they did not need. Those claims are allegations in the lawsuit.
Bell’s complaint says Meyers cut the femoral artery during the operation. That artery supplies blood to the leg, and its injury allegedly caused extensive internal bleeding. The lawsuit further alleges the clinic was not prepared to manage the emergency. Bell was taken by ambulance to Thomas Jefferson Hospital, where doctors performed urgent surgery to repair the artery and save his leg, according to the account of the filing.
The complaint says Bell suffered lasting physical damage and could no longer continue playing football. Cleveland placed him on its reserve/retired list in 2025. The Browns are not named as defendants in the lawsuit, according to the supplied report.
Bell entered the NFL after the Browns selected him in the third round of the 2022 draft. He had played for Purdue and was identified in the report as a former Big Ten Receiver of the Year. Across three seasons with Cleveland, Bell appeared in 32 games, recording 41 receptions for 408 yards and three touchdowns. His rookie season accounted for 214 receiving yards.
The lawsuit seeks damages for lost future NFL contracts, pain and other losses, as well as additional damages intended to hold the medical group accountable. The amount sought is more than $300 million. The available source material does not include responses from Meyers, Jefferson Health or the other defendants, nor does it provide a court schedule or further procedural details.
