Lloyd Howell Jr. has resigned as executive director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), ending his tumultuous two-year tenure at the helm of the players' union.
Howell, who had been in charge of the body representing over 2,000 professional American football players since 2023, resigned of his own accord late Thursday (July 17), according to sports outlet ESPN.
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In a statement, Howell said: "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. I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season."
Over the last few months, multiple media reports have put Howell under increasing pressure, including one earlier this week, also from ESPN, alleging that during Howell's time as a senior executive at global consultancy firm Booz Hamilton in 2011, he had been sued for sexual discrimination and retaliation.
In addition, ESPN reported earlier in July that Howell had been maintaining a part-time consulting role with the Carlyle Group investment firm while leading the NFLPA. That group has since gained league approval to bid for minority stakes in NFL franchises.
It was also alleged that Howell and the NFL struck a deal six months ago to keep the details of an arbitration hearing secret, which involved allegations that league executives had put pressure on franchise owners to reduce guaranteed levels of remuneration for players.
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By GlobalDataDespite this range of allegations, in a message sent last weekend to NFLPA members, the executive committee had backed Howell, saying it had "established a deliberate process to carefully assess the issues that have been raised and will not engage in a rush to judgment."
Howell added in his resignation letter: "I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish at the NFLPA over the past two years. I will be rooting for the players from the sidelines as loud as ever, and I know the NFLPA will continue to ensure that players remain firmly at the center of football's future."
ESPN has now claimed that the NFLPA leadership, including the board of player representatives, will meet as soon as possible following the news that Howell has stepped down, and that an interim executive director could be appointed.
Howell replaced DeMaurice Smith as executive director of the union two years ago, with Smith having been in that role since 2009 (when he had replaced Gene Upshaw).
In terms of other ongoing NFLPA issues, it was reported in late May that US authorities – including both the FBI and the US Department of Labor – had launched an investigation into licensing firm OneTeam Partners, which has extensive business ties to the NFLPA (as well as to the players' association of baseball's MLB).
At the time these reports came out, the American football players' union said in a statement that: "We are aware of the investigation and [are] fully prepared to cooperate if the NFLPA is contacted."
