The NFL Players Association looks to be in utter turmoil.
NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell Jr. abruptly resigned from his role amid weeks of scrutiny for multiple controversies, including reports that he expensed the union for visits to strip clubs.
What’s happened with the NFLPA recently and what is the controversy?
His resignation comes just two years after he took on the role.
“It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day,” Howell said in a statement.
“For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately.
“I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.”
According to ESPN, the day following his announcement, it was revealed that Howell had charged the union for two visits to strip clubs, including a $738.82 charge for transportation to Miami strip club Tootsie’s Cabaret – one of the world’s largest strip clubs.
There was another charge of $2,426 expensed when he visited an Atlanta strip club with two employees during a union retreat.
Although members of the committee were stunned when Howell announced his resignation – having ‘backed him 100 percent’ just 24 hours prior – once the revelations emerged over these expenses, the committee were disappointed.
“The guys were very disappointed,” one of the sources said. “They backed Howell through everything … If he failed, their process failed, and they didn’t want to face that.”
Just days after, NFLPA Chief Strategy Officer JC Tretter also resigned from his position that he has held since October 2024.
The former Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns center, who served as the NFLPA’s president from 2020 to 2024 told CBS Sports on Sunday: “Over the last couple days, it has gotten very, very hard for my family. And that’s something I can’t deal with.”
“So, the short bullet points are: I have no interest in being [executive director]. I have no interest in being considered. I’ve let the executive committee know that.
I’m also going to leave the NFLPA in the coming days because I don’t have anything left to give the organization.”
Whilst some NFL players, such as that of Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, have spoken out about getting their “choice for leader right”, the second alternate player rep of the NFLPA’s teammate Travis Kelce, along with his brother, Jason, saw the humorous side of the events that allegedly unfolded.
Speaking on their New Heights Podcast, the former Philadelphia Eagles center tried to envision how events may have unfolded, which made for exceptional entertainment.
“They might not have even known that Tootsies was a strip club. Maybe they thought they were going to a restaurant,” Jason joked.
“Who knows what they knew… they knew before they walked in. It’s not good… what if they had like laptops out and were like crunching numbers at the f***ing table.”
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“They were crunching numbers and in between the numbers they were going over to the ATM,” Travis chimed in.
“Excuse me, could you put this up on the display?” Jason continued. “Bambi, if you could please move to the side, I just wanna show that guaranteed contracts is a potential for the future of the NFL.
“Bambi… you can see right here from my graph that if we just hold our for two to three weeks, that’s X amount of money that the NFL is going to incur in expense.
“Bambi! Move your t**s, I’m trying to show my graph!”
By this point, Travis – who hasn’t yet decided his future past the 2025 season – could be seen with teams streaming down his face from laughter.
“Have I gone too far with this?” Jason asked Travis.
“Would somebody please give Bambi $200 to get her off the stage and show my graph?… it’s so ridiculous…” Travis replied.
“I don’t know what else to say,” Jason concluded. “I guess now we have got to figure out a new executive director [of the NFLPA].”
Now the hunt for a new NFLPA Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer begins.
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