What Comes Next After NFLPA Chief’s Sudden Resignation?

Following the sudden resignation of embattled NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell Jr., the union’s player board of representatives will meet to discuss next steps, although a timeline for when a new chief will be installed is not clear.

Howell resigned late Thursday night after weeks of controversy called into question his ability to continue in the role, saying in a statement that “it’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day.” 

The decision to resign was entirely Howell’s, a source familiar with the matter tells Front Office Sports. The NFLPA executive committee did not ask or force him to resign.

“This was all his decision; it happened yesterday,” the source says. 

The drama began when an episode of the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out reported that the NFL and NFLPA hid a bombshell arbitrator’s ruling in a union grievance about collusion, surprising even current players. It only snowballed from there, including the revelation of a sexual discrimination lawsuit Howell faced in 2011 while working as an executive at Booz Allen, as well as the fact that he holds a part-time, paid consultant role with Carlyle Group, which is one of the private-equity firms approved to invest in NFL teams. For the moment, Howell is still listed on Carlyle’s website; the PE firm declined to comment Friday.

There are defined next steps that will take place in order to elect a new executive director. The board of player representatives, which comprises 32 NFL players, will meet “soon,” the source says, although it remains to be seen exactly when that meeting will take place. An interim executive director will likely be installed while they determine who to select as the next full-time leader, “but that’s fully their decision,” the source says.

Whoever does step up, even for a temporary period, will do so in one of the most challenging and important points in the union’s history. The next NFLPA leader will need to navigate a series of pressing matters as the business of pro football expands significantly and grows more complex, including building a relationship with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who is expected to receive a significant contract extension; dealing with the possibility of an 18-game schedule; and the next labor deal (the current one expires in March 2031).

The player board of representatives elects all NFLPA executive officers, according to the union website. The executive director is elected for an initial two-year term and can continue to be re-elected indefinitely.

Howell’s tenure of only about two years was very short compared to his predecessors. DeMaurice Smith served in the position for more than 14 years, and before him Gene Upshaw served for more than a quarter-century starting in 1983. An interim executive director, Richard Berthelsen, was appointed in 2008 after Upshaw died from pancreatic cancer at age 63.

Another lingering question is what will happen to JC Tretter, a former offensive lineman who has been out of the league since 2021. He was president of the NFLPA when the collusion grievance was first filed. He’s now the NFLPA’s chief strategy officer, a job that didn’t exist before Howell was elected in late June 2023. Because he reported directly to Howell, it’s not clear what will happen to him in his current position of chief strategy officer. Tretter, too, is facing controversy: An arbitrator sided with the NFL in a grievance stemming from comments he made in 2023 that suggested players could fake injuries as a contract negotiation tactic. Tretter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The NFLPA declined to comment Friday.