There’s still a story to be told regarding how and when and why NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell abruptly resigned on Thursday night.
The initial telling of the story is that Howell acted unilaterally, without being pushed.
Via Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler of ESPN.com, “Howell resigned on his own and surprised some members of the NFLPA’s 10-person executive committee.”
So what prompted him to walk? Was it Thursday’s episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, which revealed another hidden grievance ruling — and which featured examples of edited clips from his Super Bowl LIX press conference as he navigated his private-equity conflict of interest? Was it ESPN’s reporting from Thursday about a 2011 lawsuit about which some of the player representatives who voted on Howell weren’t aware? Was it more reporting that was still to come?
Or did he get a gentle, off-the-record nudge from someone regarding the direction in which the wind was blowing? With Ronald C. Machen from the WilmerHale firm investigating Howell’s activities, did he see or hear something (via PTFO or elsewhere) that caused him to get word to Howell that his best move would be to walk, before they made him run?
The official reporting is that Howell left on his own. The unofficial truth could be otherwise. Time will tell.
