Latest news with #LloydHowellJr
Bloomberg
14 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Ex-NFL Union Boss Pushed Plan For Players to Buy Stakes in Teams
Lloyd Howell Jr., who recently resigned as executive director of the NFLPA, aimed to create a fund that would buy stakes in NFL teams. By and Siobhan Wagner Save Welcome to the Business of Sports newsletter. This week we introduce our occasional Locker Room section. Think of it as a reporter's notebook meets gossip column where we'll inform (hopefully) and sometimes ask our readers for help. We also look at the mess at the NFLPA, and given that it's summer, we go sailing. As always, send us any feedback, tips or ideas here. If you aren't yet signed up to receive this newsletter, you can do so here.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Interim NFLPA executive director David White to players: Rebuilding ‘damaged trust' a top priority
In his first communication with NFL players since his appointment as interim director of the NFL Players Association, David White expressed gratitude for the opportunity to help provide stability to the players union. The former SAG-AFTRA union leader also attempted to convey an understanding of the responsibilities he has inherited, and the heavy lifting ahead as he and NFLPA leaders work to help the union regain its footing. Advertisement The NFLPA board of representatives elected White as the interim executive director late Sunday night, following a three-week process that began after Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned amid a firestorm of controversy over potential conflicts of interest, mismanagement, and the improper use of NFLPA funds. White, who served as national executive director and lead negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild from 2009 to 2021, was a finalist for the NFLPA job in 2023, but lost out to Howell, who appealed to players because of his business acumen as a former chief financial officer of Booz Allen Hamilton. NFLPA leaders vowed to take their time in selecting the interim director and eventually settled on White, passing over several popular in-house options. In his letter to players, of which The Athletic obtained a copy, White said, 'I want to thank you for entrusting me with helping to guide and lead your union during this critical time. I'll be visiting you in person throughout the season and look forward to hearing directly from you.' He went on to express his understanding of the magnitude of the position because of his experience with previous high-profile labor unions and his knowledge of the NFLPA and pro football. 'This union's mission is simple: to protect and empower you. To do that effectively, we must be united with clear priorities, transparent communication and consistent actions that demonstrate our understanding of what you need and want,' White wrote. He went on to lay out the most immediate priorities that he feels compelled to address, most notably restoring player confidence in the union, addressing time-sensitive challenges and laying the groundwork for a successful transition to a permanent union leader. White wrote, 'Recent events have damaged trust between many of you and this organization. That trust isn't something we're entitled to — it's something we must earn through consistent action. You deserve a union that operates professionally, communicates clearly and makes decisions that put your interests first. Rebuilding that confidence is my top priority, and it will be measured not by what we say, but by how we perform.' Interim NFLPA executive director David White sent this letter out to the player body today. He seems to understand the heavy lifting ahead as the player union aims to regain stability. — Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) August 6, 2025 White expressed his intention to meet with the player bodies of each team to gain a better understanding of the top concerns and priorities in their minds. (It's customary that the executive director spends the first part of the preseason and regular season touring the league for face-to-face meetings with the locker rooms of each team.) Advertisement 'The challenges facing professional football players today require the same strategic thinking and collective wisdom that built this union's past successes,' he wrote. 'Meeting those challenges effectively is the work we begin now.' It's unclear what timeline the NFLPA executive committee plans to operate under while searching for a long-term solution at executive director. However, it's believed that they could wait until after the conclusion of the season to hold an election for the permanent position. In other NFLPA-related news, the union on Wednesday also sent a message to players in an attempt to provide clarity regarding the NFL-issued memo announcing a new measure that will prohibit teams from providing players with ammonia products such as smelling salts. The NFLPA message read, 'The NFL Players Association is aware of the memo issued by the league Tuesday regarding the use of smelling salts and ammonia capsules. We were not notified of this club policy change before the memo was sent out. To clarify, this policy does not prohibit player use of these substances, but rather it restricts clubs from providing or supplying them in any form. The NFL has confirmed this to us. If you have any questions, please reach out to your player director.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lloyd Howell resigns as NFLPA executive director
The NFL Players Association is going to need a new leader. NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. announced his resignation Thursday evening. "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. "I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season." A message was also sent to the NFLPA membership from the executive committee and was obtained by USA TODAY Sports. It read: "This 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 Board will convene as soon as possible for a meeting on next steps and will be in touch with our membership soon." Howell had come under intense scrutiny in recent days and weeks following the "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast's release of a 61-page arbitration report. In January, Christopher Droney, an independent arbitrator, dismissed a grievance raised by the NFLPA, ruling there wasn't sufficient evidence of collusion by NFL owners. However, the contents of his report included a finding 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. "By agreeing to a confidentiality agreement, the union purposefully blocked the players from receiving crucial information about the operations of the NFL," attorney Peter Ginsberg said via ESPN. "The NFL and the union should not be conspiring together to keep important information from the players." NFL CONTROVERSY: In stunning ruling, arbitrator finds league encouraged collusion ESPN reports Lloyd Howell has side job with conflict of interest Further controversy surrounding Howell emerged on July 10. ESPN reported that Howell, in addition to his job as head of the players' union, 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. Howell had started the consulting gig months before starting his role as the NFLPA's executive director. He refused to step down from his role with The Carlyle Group after taking the NFLPA job, ESPN reported. "It would be an outrageous conflict for the head of a labor union to have an interest in a third party that is aligned with the NFL," NFLPA's former lead outside counsel Jim Quinn said, via ESPN. "The relationship between a labor organization and the employer organization is adversarial by definition, and as a result, as a leader, you have to be absolutely clear and clean as to having no even appearance of conflict." A representative for The Carlyle Group told ESPN in a statement that Howell "had no access to information about the NFL and Carlyle process" and that she was unaware of the union's request he leave his consulting position. USA TODAY Sports had also confirmed an ESPN report that the NFLPA hired law firm Wilmer Hale last month to look into Howell's actions as the union's executive director. NFLPA: NFL and players union agreed to keep collusion findings secret, per report Lloyd Howell involved in previous legal controversies Prior to Howell's election as the union's new executive director, he served as the chief financial officer for technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton between 2016 and 2022. In July 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Booz Allen paid out a $377 million settlement resulting from a whistleblower lawsuit that alleged the firm had been overcharging the federal government. The Washington Post reported that the whistleblower had notified top executives, including Howell, of the overcharging issue for months. The NFLPA had hired Howell as its executive director just one month before the announcement of Booz Allen's settlement. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lloyd Howell resigns as NFLPA executive director
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Report: Lloyd Howell charged NFLPA for strip club visits
The enhanced scrutiny focused on Lloyd Howell Jr.'s tenure as the NFL Players Association's executive director isn't going away, even after he resigned from the position. ESPN reported Friday afternoon that an union-hired outside investigation into Howell found he submitted expense reports charging the union for two visits to strip clubs. One report from November 2023 showed a charge of more than $700 for a car service that took Howell from Fort Lauderdale Airport to Tootsie's Cabaret – "the world's largest strip club spanning over 76,000 square feet," according to its website – in Miami Gardens around 10:30 p.m. Howell reportedly hired the driver to "wait seven hours outside" before taking Howell back home to Sunny Isles Beach at 6 a.m., according to a receipt, as reported by ESPN. NFL, NFLPA EXPLAINER: What to know about grievances, Lloyd Howell, next steps Earlier this year, Howell again traveled to a strip club on the union's dime, ESPN reported. This time, he and two employees visited Magic City in Atlanta as part of what the expense report called a "Player Engagement Event." He and the employees spent a reported $2,426 that night "including cash withdrawals, ranging from $200 to $525, from a club ATM," according to ESPN. One expense report requested a reimbursement of $736 for charges for "secluded sections for our Player Members" – ESPN noted that the NFLPA visitors used two "VIP rooms" at Magic City – as well as food and alcoholic beverages. The names of the "Player Members" were kept off the report. A former union employee reportedly told ESPN that strip clubs or other venues are not explicitly excluded from reimbursements. "But I don't think anyone in their right mind would think that is an optically good scenario," the employee went on to say. LLOYD HOWELL: NFLPA executive director resigns after multiple controversies Howell's strip club activities – and tendency to charge the company card for it – are reportedly not a new phenomenon. ESPN also reported that Howell had been investigated for a similar incident while at his prior employer, technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, in 2015. The sports media company wrote that Howell attended a strip club in New York City that year with a senior vice president of the company. When the senior VP submitted an expense report seeking reimbursement for the "thousands of dollars" the two had spent at the club, Booz Allen fired the VP and reprimanded Howell. The company promoted Howell to its chief financial officer position the following year. Howell resigned from his position as the executive director of the NFLPA Wednesday night after just over two years serving in the role. He said in a statement, "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." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lloyd Howell charged strip club visits to union expense report
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NFLPA hires David White as interim executive director, replacing Lloyd Howell
The NFL Players Association has a new leader. The NFLPA on Sunday night announced the hiring of David White to take over as the interim executive director in a move that was necessitated by the stunning resignation of Lloyd Howell Jr. on July 17. The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that JC Tretter, the union's chief strategy officer, and Don Davis, the chief player officer, emerged as the lead candidates following Howell's departure. Tretter later resigned from his position. NFLPA CONTROVERSY EXPLAINED: What to know about grievances, Lloyd Howell, next steps One union official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, said that a voting player representative from all 32 teams participated in the Board vote. The person also said that on the final short list of candidates, there were multiple internal candidates and multiple external ones. The Board conducted interviews with each candidate over the last two weeks, and the process was player-led and voted on by the Board. The person also said that ultimately, the Board voted on their elected candidate this evening. NFLPA leadership initially expressed their support for Howell, but the fallout from the "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast's release of a 61-page arbitration report proved to be too much. The report revealed the NFLPA agreed to keep the arbitration decision from earlier this year about potential collusion by the league confidential – despite evidence that "commissioner Roger Goodell and former general counsel Jeff Pash instructed teams at the March 2022 league meeting to limit guaranteed money in players' contracts." Howell was later found to be a paid, part-time consultant for the private-equity firm The Carlyle Group since March 2023, as reported by ESPN. It highlighted a potential conflict of interest as the group was given approval by the NFL to seek a minority ownership stake in a team. More revelations regarding Howell's conduct have come to light following his resignation. On July 18, ESPN reported that Howell submitted expense reports charging the union for two visits to strip clubs. The former leader's controversial tenure was short-lived and came to an end just over two years following his hiring on June 28, 2023. Now White will be tasked with cleaning up the mess that was left behind in addition to restoring trust between the union and its membership. They won't have the luxury of time, however, as training camps are already underway and the regular season is fast approaching. NFL writer Chris Bumbaca contributed to this story. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFLPA hires David White to replace Lloyd Howell
