Player reps from all 32 NFL teams, plus several additional voices, met Friday night on a call to discuss the future leadership of the NFL Players’ Association. Based on the discussion, the race for the next executive director following the resignation of Lloyd Howell is down to two candidates: JC Tretter, who has the majority of support, and Don Davis, who several league sources have shared has had a strong push from players.
No timetable has been set for naming an interim executive director. A high-ranking executive in the NFL offices said Friday the league anticipates that whoever is appointed interim executive director will not be promoted to the full-time role. The league’s thinking stems from the belief that the union is ready to break from a group previously led by Howell and Tretter. But the support for Tretter during Friday’s call shows that he remains very much in contention to lead the organization.
According to a league source on the Friday call, it was clear many players haven’t been keeping up with union developments which led to a flurry of questions and catch-up conversations during the meeting and Saturday.
Howell announced his resignation from the position Thursday night after weeks of reporting uncovered controversial actions under his leadership, as revealed by ESPN, Pro Football Talk and “Pablo Torre Finds Out.” The findings included the NFLPA reportedly agreeing to a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to hide information about an arbitration decision, as well as concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving Howell’s consulting work for a private equity group approved by the league for a minority ownership stake.
Meanwhile, federal investigators have been conducting a probe into some sports union officials and OneTeam Partners, a company that licenses athletes’ name, image and likeness rights. Five sports unions hold stakes in OneTeam, including the NFLPA with 44 percent. An official inside the NFLPA raised concerns that union officials could enrich themselves via OneTeam, and last winter, the NFLPA hired an outside firm to conduct an investigation. At the time, Howell was a board member of the company as part of his role in NFLPA leadership.
The NFLPA hired Howell in 2023 following a search process that was criticized for its lack of transparency. Before his work at the NFLPA, Howell spent 34 years at Booz Allen, including a stint as the chief financial officer. Like his predecessor at the NFLPA, DeMaurice Smith, Howell does not have a background in sports. His bachelor’s degree is in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and he holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard.
(Photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
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