Former Cleveland Browns receiver David Bell has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $300 million from several doctors and a large hospital system, alleging that surgery for ongoing hip pain caused a life-threatening femoral artery injury and ended his NFL career.
The claim was filed in Philadelphia on Thursday. Bell alleges he was advised to undergo a “core muscle repair”, also referred to as a “Meyers Repair”, for pain that remained after an earlier hip injury.
According to the lawsuit, doctors presented the procedure as relatively low risk. Bell claims it instead severely damaged his femoral artery, leaving him in need of emergency vascular treatment at a local hospital.
The filing describes that treatment as “life-saving but career-ending”. Bell alleges the operation was unnecessary and that the resulting medical complications prevented him from continuing his professional football career.
His lawyer, Brad Sohn, said a year-long investigation involving surgeons and radiologists had produced “nothing short of astonishing” findings. He alleged that the defendants had put “hundreds of millions of dollars” ahead of the principle of “First Do No Harm”.
Bell, who starred for Purdue before being selected in the third round of the 2022 draft, spent three seasons with Cleveland. He recorded 41 receptions for 408 yards and three touchdowns in the NFL before the medical issues.
Another of Bell’s lawyers said: “What happened to David Bell, an elite NFL athlete, is just plain wrong. Even worse, it was totally preventable.”
