Amid mounting pressure, Lloyd Howell has announced that he is stepping down as executive director of the NFL Players Association.
The news broke on Thursday night, bringing Howell’s controversy-filled spell as the head of the players’ union to an end. Howell had been in post for two years but he admitted that a series of ongoing investigations had left him unable to continue in 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.”
ESPN reports that Howell resigned of his own accord, surprising members of the ten-person NFLPA exectuive committee in the process. However pressure had been mounting on Howell for his questionable financial dealings.
In May it was announced that the FBI is investigating financial deals involving NFLPA and group-licensing firm, OneTeam Partners. The MLB Players Association was also implicated in the investigation. NFLPA was reportedly so concerned by the news that it hired law firm Wilmer Hale to review Howell’s work as executive director.
But in the last two weeks scandals have threatened to consume Howell’s leadership of the union. ESPN revealed that Howell had been working as a paid consultant for the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm currently pursuing an ownership stake in an NFL team. Howell is also accused of striking a confidentiality agreement with the NFL that obscures details of a January arbitration decision in which league officials allegedly encouraged team owners to reduce guaranteed player compensation.
The final nail in Howell’s coffin, however, came from before he had even taken charge of the NFLPA. Earlier on Thursday it was reported that Howell had been sued for sexual discrimination and retaliation in 2011. It is not clear if players were aware of that detail when he was elected to lead the NFLPA in 2023.
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