Latest news with #LloydHowell
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
NFLPA says it's not "actively preparing" for European division
The NFL Players Association is actively preparing for various things. The NFLPA says it's not actively preparing for a European division. In response to our item from Sunday morning item that NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell has been discussing the pros and cons of the league placing four teams in Europe, an NFLPA spokesperson said this: 'Player members are in regular discussion with the NFLPA about international games and related health and safety issues. But no one is actively preparing for a European division.' It could be a simple matter of semantics. Preparing and discussing are two very different things. Regardless, the NFL has yet to broach the subject with the union. That doesn't mean it won't. In 2022, the Commissioner spoke openly about a possible four-team European division. For now, the league's focus will be to get the NFLPA to agree to increase the maximum number of annual international games from 10 to 16. And to increase the number of regular-season games from 17 to 18 per team. In time, there very well could be an effort to put four teams in Europe. And to make those teams new franchises, which would expand the number of NFL teams to 36. With the possibility of eventually (or at the same time) moving to 40. If there will be a European division, why not have an Asian division, too?
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Business
- NBC Sports
NFLPA ponders eventual NFL push for European division
The NFL has been printing dollars for years. In time, it may be printing Euros. The NFL Players Association, we're told, is preparing for the NFL to eventually make a push for a four-team European division. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell has been actively discussing the pros and cons of putting multiple teams — and more than 200 union jobs — on another continent. And there are more than a few cons. Will players want to move to London or Germany or Spain or wherever? Living in a different country introduces a host of new issues, starting with the governmental structure and continuing with the taxation system, cost of living, the potential language barrier, and more. Then there's the draft. It's one thing to tell a 21-year-old who'd prefer to live in his hometown of Pittsburgh that he's moving to Seattle. It's another to tell a kid from Phoenix that he's packing for Frankfurt. From the league's perspective, there's no evidence that a plan is in place to put one or more teams in Europe in the foreseeable future. The goal for now is to expand the number of permissible international games under the Collective Bargaining Agreement from 10 to 16. That said, this year's decision to give the Vikings consecutive 'road' games in Dublin and London is, we've previously explained, the first effort to evaluate the impact of a multi-week foreign trip on a U.S.-based team. If/when team(s) are in Europe, that's how it will go. In lieu of traveling across the Atlantic Ocean twice in a given season, teams will get their European games played during the same trip. One basic question, if the league were to put four teams in Europe, is where the teams will come from. Expansion, as to all four teams, is a possibility. Making that option more attractive is the price that a new owner would pay the other owners for a team. Right now, an expansion fee of $10 billion per team wouldn't be crazy. Four teams means $40 billion, which also means $1.25 billion for each existing owner. Another question becomes where a four-team European division would be placed. Currently, the league has four eight-team divisions. Adding four teams would result in four five-team divisions and four four-team divisions. One obvious goal, in order to minimize travel, would be to put the four European teams (and their two games per year against each other) in the same four-team division. But that division would have to be placed in either the AFC or the NFC. That would create a potentially significant burden on the other teams in the European division's conference — especially if the European division's champion wins the No. 1 seed in the conference. Then there's the reality that the three California-based teams, along with the Seahawks, Cardinals, Raiders, and Broncos, could be facing ridiculously long trips for playoff games. Likewise, the European teams could be facing the same kind of postseason travel realities. One fairly obvious solution would be to restructure the league to put the Rams, 49ers, Seahawks, Cardinals, Raiders, Broncos, Chargers, and one other midwestern team (Cowboys, Texans, Chiefs, Saints, or Vikings) in two divisions of the same conference — with the European division in the other conference. Regardless, it's not just another effort to generate short-term interest and media coverage during the annual European games. Yes, the league has a habit of dangling carrots (e.g., London Super Bowl!) when it's time to move the needle in England. But it's possible that some of the more outlandish possibilities aren't simply aimed at creating headlines. In 2022, Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned the possibility of a four-team division during a pre-London game hype session. Although he has since pivoted his focus to 16 international regular-season games, it's not an either-or alternative. It's quite possibly a stepping stone.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
MLB, NFL players contacted by federal agents in stunning licensing firm investigation
MLB and NFL pros have been contacted by federal agents as part of an investigation regarding a licensing firm owned by the league's unions, according to reports. Agents are looking into financial dealings regarding OneTeam Partners, created by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and private-equity firm RedBird Capitals in 2019, per ESPN. Players are not being targeted by the agents, according to ESPN, and at least three MLBers who are involved with 'union leadership' have been contacted. The FBI and Department of Labor (DOL) are partaking in the investigation, per The Athletic. '(OneTeam) is aware of an ongoing investigation of allegations concerning our partners,' it told ESPN in a statement. 'We want to emphasize that OneTeam is not the subject of the investigation and has not been accused of any wrongdoing in any way. OneTeam is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation.' OneTeam Partners' website claims 'we united Players Associations and elite athletes by giving them the platforms, resources and expertise necessary to maximize their collective value.' Both NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell and MLBPA boss Tony Clark are listed on the board of directors, and former NFLPA boss DeMaurice Smith helped found it. OneTeam Partners paid the MLBPA $44.5 million in 2024 and the NFLPA received $422.8 million over the past five years, per ESPN. ESPN described the partnership as a 'major financial boon' for both unions. Union executives told ESPN they had not been contacted, and the investigation is being run by the Brooklyn-based Eastern District of New York. 'We are aware of the investigation and fully prepared to cooperate if the NFLPA is contacted,' an NFLPA spokesperson told The Athletic. The MLBPA also said to the outlet: 'If the MLBPA is contacted by the government, we intend to cooperate fully with any investigation.' OneTeam has faced questions before regarding its operations with the NFL and MLB unions. An anonymous unfair labor practices complaint was filed in 2024 with the National Labor Relations board that alleged 'nepotism, corruption and mismanagement' within the MLBPA, per ESPN. The complaint alleges Clark 'improperly gave himself & other executives equity' in OneTeam, along with 'inadequate disclosures' about the alliance in the yearly union updates. The MLBPA denied those allegations, per ESPN. This past December, Richard Smith, the NFL's outside counsel, reportedly ran an audit to see whether the company has afforded equity options to executive directors of its union partners, including the MLBPA. The NFLPA audit revealed the union's involvement with OneTeam was 'in compliance with best governance practices,' a source told ESPN. '(OneTeam) remains steadfast in our commitment to following the best business practices, as has already been determined by the independent audit conducted earlier this year,' it told ESPN. 'We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in all that we do.'
New York Post
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
MLB, NFL players contacted by federal agents in stunning licensing firm investigation
MLB and NFL pros have been contacted by federal agents as part of an investigation regarding a licensing firm owned by the league's unions, according to reports. Agents are looking into financial dealings regarding OneTeam Partners, created by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and private-equity firm RedBird Capitals in 2019, per ESPN. 4 MLBPA executive director Tony Clark in 2017. AP Players are not being targeted by the agents, according to ESPN, and at least three MLBers who are involved with 'union leadership' have been contacted. The FBI and Department of Labor (DOL) are partaking in the investigation, per The Athletic. '(OneTeam) is aware of an ongoing investigation of allegations concerning our partners,' it told ESPN in a statement. 'We want to emphasize that OneTeam is not the subject of the investigation and has not been accused of any wrongdoing in any way. OneTeam is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation.' OneTeam Partners' website claims 'we united Players Associations and elite athletes by giving them the platforms, resources and expertise necessary to maximize their collective value.' Both NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell and MLBPA boss Tony Clark are listed on the board of directors, and former NFLPA boss DeMaurice Smith helped found it. 4 Executive Director NFL players Association Lloyd Howell speaks as striking members of Writers Guild of America picketing in front of CBS Broadcast Center on theme Sport Writers Picket in New York in 2023. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock OneTeam Partners paid the MLBPA $44.5 million in 2024 and the NFLPA received $422.8 million over the past five years, per ESPN. ESPN described the partnership as a 'major financial boon' for both unions. Union executives told ESPN they had not been contacted, and the investigation is being run by the Brooklyn-based Eastern District of New York. 'We are aware of the investigation and fully prepared to cooperate if the NFLPA is contacted,' an NFLPA spokesperson told The Athletic. 4 The OneTeam Partners website. The MLBPA also said to the outlet: 'If the MLBPA is contacted by the government, we intend to cooperate fully with any investigation.' OneTeam has faced questions before regarding its operations with the NFL and MLB unions. An anonymous unfair labor practices complaint was filed in 2024 with the National Labor Relations board that alleged 'nepotism, corruption and mismanagement' within the MLBPA, per ESPN. 4 Former NFLPA boss DeMaurice Smith helped found OneTeam. AP The complaint alleges Clark 'improperly gave himself & other executives equity' in OneTeam, along with 'inadequate disclosures' about the alliance in the yearly union updates. The MLBPA denied those allegations, per ESPN. This past December, Richard Smith, the NFL's outside counsel, reportedly ran an audit to see whether the company has afforded equity options to executive directors of its union partners, including the MLBPA. The NFLPA audit revealed the union's involvement with OneTeam was 'in compliance with best governance practices,' a source told ESPN. '(OneTeam) remains steadfast in our commitment to following the best business practices, as has already been determined by the independent audit conducted earlier this year,' it told ESPN. 'We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in all that we do.'
NBC Sports
21-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
NFL, NFLPA have yet to reach an official agreement on Olympic participation
On the issue of active NFL players participating in the Olympics, the owners have spoken. The NFL Players Association has, too. However, the two sides have yet to speak to each other in a meaningful — or binding — fashion. According to the NFLPA, substantive talks between the league and the union regarding Olympic participation have not yet happened. 'The resolution just green lit that process which has yet to be designed or debated,' NFLPA chief external affairs officer Liz Allen said. 'Everything laid out so far is just the opening bid from which to work on participation and safety terms.' It's an important point. Although the NFLPA has expressed full support for the participation of players in the Olympics, Tuesday's formal announcement of the passage of the resolution contained a not-so-subtle caveat from executive director Lloyd Howell: 'We look forward to working with the league, IFAF, and Olympic authorities on the terms of their participation to ensure players who compete will do so with protections to their health, safety, and job.' That sets the stage for potentially harder-than-they-look negotiations regarding issues such as field quality, tryout duration and intensity, pre-Olympics practice sessions, and salary protection in the event of serious injury. There's another issue into which we stumbled while trying to unpack during PFT Live the many non-obvious issues arising from NFL players playing flag football. For example, will players be able to waive their right to participate in the Olympics through individual negotiations with their teams? The NFLPA notes that receivers are the players who are the most interested in playing Olympic flag football. What if a team approaches a star receiver who is inclined to accept a spot on the U.S. flag football team and offers him a contractual sweetener to pass on the invitation? Will that be permitted? If the player has the right to participate in the Olympics, expressly waiving that right has financial value. Why shouldn't he be able to capitalize on a decision to refrain from assuming the injury risk? The league office may not like that. But if the teams and players want to do it, why should it be prevented? It's a way for the players to leverage greater compensation for his full and complete commitment to the team, as evidenced by turning his back on Olympic flag football. The key word is leverage. The NFLPA has it, given that the league has announced that players will be eligible to participate without first formalizing an agreement with the union. And while the NFLPA is taking the position that it supports the players who choose to play, the circumstances give the union the ability to squeeze various concessions from the NFL as the resolution works its way toward becoming a binding codicil to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
