The NFL Players Association is void of an executive director as training camps get underway.
Lloyd Howell Jr. announced his resignation as NFLPA executive director “effective immediately” on Thursday evening. Howell’s decision to step down came amid scrutiny following the ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out’ podcast’s release of a 61-page arbitration report. The report included a revelation that the NFL encouraged owners ‘to reduce guarantees in future contracts with players at the March 2022 annual meeting.’
ESPN had reported that the NFL and NFLPA made an ‘unusual confidentiality agreement’ to keep the findings of the arbitration report secret.
The next step for the union is clear. It has to immediately hire a replacement.
“The board of player representatives will meet as soon as possible to determine next steps,” a person close to the situation told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Whoever replaces Howell must also be far less controversial than Howell was.
Howell was elected as head of the NFLPA on June 28, 2023. His two-year stint as executive editor comes far short of his predecessors Ed Garvey (1971-1983), Gene Upshaw (1983-2008) and DeMaurice Smith (2009-2023).
The reason for Howell’s short stint was because of the problematic issues that surrounded him. ESPN reported that Howell was working as a ‘paid, part-time consultant for The Carlyle Group,’ a private equity firm that the NFL approved to seek minority ownership stakes in its teams in addition to his job as executive director of the players’ union. Howell had started the consulting job months before starting his role as the NFLPA’s executive director.
“It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day. 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,” Howell said in a statement Thursday. “I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.”
USA TODAY Sports obtained a message sent from the NFLPA executive committee to its membership after Powell’s resignation.
“(Thursday) evening, Lloyd Howell informed us that he is stepping down as Executive Director of the union. We accepted his resignation and are grateful for his service,” the statement read. “The Board will convene as soon as possible for a meeting on next steps and will be in touch with our membership soon.”
Howell’s short but controversial tenure must serve as learning experience for the board of player representatives who elect the executive director. Recent findings compromised the trust between Howell and the players.
There’s also now a sense of urgency. Training camp is already here, and the regular season is in less than 50 days. The NFLPA could name an interim executive director. But the controversy surrounding Howell’s exit serves as evidence that it’s imperative for the board of player representatives to go through a thorough vetting process before they select someone who they deem is fully committed to the players and void of any conflicts of interests.