COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Groveport Madison Schools has removed Le’Veon Bell’s name from its high school football stadium, just after a court ruled that he owed millions to a woman who accuses he sexually assaulted her when she was underage.

According to the school district, Bell, a graduate and former NFL star running back, had his name removed after “a thorough review of the contractual agreement governing the field naming rights at Cruiser Stadium.”

The district said its decision was in part due to a recent court ruling in which Bell and his brother, La’Vonte, were ordered to pay over $36 million in damages to a woman who accused the brothers of sexually assaulting her over 11 years.

Former NFL, Groveport star Le’Veon Bell accused of sexual assault

The agreement, the district said in a released statement, said “any offense … involving moral turpitude shall entitle the district to terminate the contract. In light of a civil suit that found Mr. Bell liable for over $25 million for serious misconduct involving a minor, the district determined that continuing to honor the naming rights agreement was no longer appropriate or aligned with the values of Groveport Madison Schools.”

Additionally, the district said Bell discontinued payments toward the stadium in 2020, three years after agreeing to fund the naming rights.

“Per the agreement, Mr. Bell was to make payments totaling $750,000,” that district said. “While he initially made four payments of $75,000 each, totaling $300,000, his last payment was received on December 9, 2020. Despite attempts to address the delinquent payments, Mr. Bell has discontinued further payments, resulting in a breach of contract. As a result, the district has moved forward (on March 13, 2025) with removing his name from the stadium entrance, scoreboard, and field turf.”

On May 24, 2017, Bell, a star running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers at the time, returned to Groveport to present a $750,000 donation check to his alma mater to pay for a new field. The agreement was voted on by the Groveport Madison Schools Board of Education in a special meeting, and in exchange, the field was named “Le’Veon Bell Field at Cruiser Stadium.”

The stadium remains Cruiser Stadium, while the field name, Le’Veon Bell Field, has been removed and no longer appears on stadium grounds. For a previous report on this story view the video player above.

This week, a Franklin County Court of common pleas ordered Bell to pay $25 million to a woman who alleges she was sexually abused as a minor for years.

The ruling stems from a civil lawsuit filed in 2022 in which the woman said Bell and his brother La’Vonte engaged in encounters with her beginning when she was 6 or 7. A complaint said Le’Veon allegedly engaged in these encounters while the girl was underage, including during “frequent returns to central Ohio during his college years and beyond.”

In March 2024, summonses were issued to both Bell brothers, but neither appeared in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. In a statement to TMZ, Le’Veon Bell’s attorney Thomas Shaffer said, “My client adamantly denies any and all allegations that have been lodged against him. Further, he was never served with a civil complaint or any documents.”

In October, a judge issued a default judgment in the woman’s favor, ruling the Bells were “served according to law and failed to move, plead, or otherwise appear in this action.”

Shaffer said a motion on behalf of Le’Veon Bell is being filed to open and reverse the default judgment.

It awarded the woman over $36 million, including compensatory damages in the amount of $20 million, plus $5 million in punitive damages in the claim against Le’Veon Bell, and $11 million in compensatory damages plus $500,000 in the claim against La’Vonte Bell.

“Our students deserve to look up to individuals who embody integrity, responsibility, and character,” Groveport Madison Schools Superintendent Jamie Grube said. “It is our duty as a district to ensure that those associated with our programs represent the values we strive to instill in our students.”

Bell graduated from Groveport Madison in 2010 and played college football at Michigan State. He became a three-time All-Pro running back with the Steelers, who drafted him in the second round of the 2013 draft. He also spent time with the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers between the 2019 and 2021 seasons.

Neither Le’Veon or La’Vonte Bell has been charged with any crime related to the alleged abuse.