Latest news with #NFLPA
New York Times
3 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin: Vote on interim leader to be held in ‘near future'
Following a week marked by increased scrutiny and two high-profile resignations from the NFL Players Association leadership, union president Jalen Reeves-Maybin issued a statement reaffirming the organization's commitment to its members and clarifying its next steps. 'The players who make up the NFLPA are bound not only by our shared experiences on and off the field, but by our shared commitment to the success and well-being of our members,' the statement said. 'While our union has been tested of late, we remain committed to the values of integrity, accountability, and progress in serving the best interests of our membership.' Statement from NFLPA President Jalen Reeves-Maybin. — NFLPA (@NFLPA) July 22, 2025 On Thursday, Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned from his role as executive director of the NFLPA amid criticism over his leadership, as uncovered in reports by ESPN, Pro Football Talk and 'Pablo Torre Finds Out.' Findings included the NFLPA reaching a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to hide information about an arbitration decision involving potential collusion around guaranteed contracts, concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving Howell's consulting work for a private equity group approved by the league to pursue minority ownership stakes, and Howell's use of union money to fund two trips to strip clubs, for which he was reprimanded. Howell served as executive director for two years. Advertisement 'The NFLPA Executive Committee and Board of Player Representatives are in the process of selecting an interim executive director,' said Reeves-Maybin in the statement. 'In recent days, the Board passed a resolution in accordance with the NFLPA Constitution to allow for the eventual vote of such an interim leader and agreed to processes and terms to select a candidate. We are conducting ongoing due diligence and will hold a vote in the near future as soon as that process is complete.' Three days after Howell's resignation, former NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter also resigned from the organization. At the time, Tretter was considered one of two favorites to take over as interim executive director. The other was Don Davis, who several league sources have shared has had a strong push from players. Like Howell, Tretter faced scrutiny over his actions while with the NFLPA, including comments he made in 2023, when he was still union president, in which he suggested that players could fake injuries as a contract-negotiation tactic. The comments resurfaced in the wake of another arbitration ruling that came to light this month. In the ruling, arbitrator Sidney Moreland determined Tretter's comments violated the collective bargaining agreement. Reeves-Maybin was voted onto the NFLPA executive committee in 2022 and elected as president in 2024. A former NFL linebacker, he spent his first five seasons with the Detroit Lions, spent a year with the Houston Texans and returns to the Lions for his final two seasons from 2023-24. Reeves-Maybin concluded his statement by saying: 'In the meantime, I am in close contact with the NFLPA Executive Leadership Team to ensure good governance practices and continued union business until an interim executive director is elected.' (Top photo of Jalen Reeves-Maybin ahead of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in February: (Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
JC Tretter discusses NFLPA tenure, controversies on Dan Patrick Show
Days after resigning from his position as NFL Players Association president amid mounting controversies, JC Tretter joined the Dan Patrick Show to discuss both the decision to step down and those controversies. During his interview, Tretter denied knowing about the NFL's collusion grievance and offered an apology to quarterback Russell Wilson. Advertisement Tretter resigned from his position as NFLPA president on Sunday, days after executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. stepped down from his role. The former Cleveland Browns center told Dan Patrick that the recent blows he's taken to his public reputation were a big part of his decision to step down. JC TRETTER: Former NFLPA president resigns amid scandals within union "I feel like I had nothing left to give the organization," Tretter said. "There have been some stories out there about me that aren't true, and I've been asked to sit on that and not talk about it. And that was for the organization, that wasn't for the players. Advertisement "In the end, I feel like I couldn't do that anymore." Tretter and Howell had been subjects of intense scrutiny over the last month. Revelations from multiple outlets that the union had agreed to two different deals with the NFL to cover up arbitration reports were a big part of that scrutiny. The Boston Globe reported Friday – two days before Tretter's resignation – that a text message criticizing the then-NFLPA president had been circulating among players. 'When will the players rise up and hold Tretter accountable for all this?" it read. "Tretter is the common denominator in all these scandals." Advertisement NFL GRIEVANCE COVER-UP: Reports: NFL, NFLPA concealed arbitrator report over fake injury complaint One of the arbitration reports that remained concealed stemmed from a grievance the NFLPA filed in 2022, alleging that NFL owners were engaged in collusion to limit the guaranteed money in player contracts. The arbitrator found no instances of collusion but also wrote that a "preponderance of evidence" suggested that the league had encouraged owners to collude. On Tuesday, Tretter said he had neither seen nor had access to the collusion grievance. He also stated that he had no discussions about the case in the months and years between its filing and the arbitrator's report from earlier this year. "Just not part of my job," Tretter said. Advertisement NFLPA CONTROVERSIES: What to know about Lloyd Howell, JC Tretter resignations He went on to deny other rumors that he had "been angling for the executive director job," noting that he had declined a previous petition to run for the position because it would have meant more time away from his family. "A lot of things have been rolled down to, 'This must be JC's fault,' and that's not where I sit in the organization," Tretter said. "And that's not the type of person I am, and I didn't want people thinking that was the type of person I am." Tretter also walked back the criticism of quarterback Russell Wilson he sent to former NFLPA executive director De Smith in text messages that were revealed in a deposition related to the collusion grievance. Tretter told Patrick he called Wilson a "wuss" for taking less guaranteed money in the five-year, $242.5 million contract extension he signed with the Denver Broncos in 2022. The former union president said it upset him that the deal, which guaranteed $124 million at signing, was a missed opportunity to secure more guaranteed money for players in future contracts. Advertisement Said Tretter: "If I knew the league was colluding against Russell, I would apologize, because I would know there's factors outside of his control that were illegal and not allowed to happen." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JC Tretter explains NFLPA resignation on Dan Patrick Show
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
JC Tretter discusses NFLPA tenure, controversies on Dan Patrick Show
Days after resigning from his position as NFL Players Association president amid mounting controversies, JC Tretter joined the Dan Patrick Show to discuss both the decision to step down and those controversies. During his interview, Tretter denied knowing about the NFL's collusion grievance and offered an apology to quarterback Russell Wilson. Tretter resigned from his position as NFLPA president on Sunday, days after executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. stepped down from his role. The former Cleveland Browns center told Dan Patrick that the recent blows he's taken to his public reputation were a big part of his decision to step down. "I feel like I had nothing left to give the organization."Former NFLPA President @JCTretter explains his decision to resign from the NFLPA. JC TRETTER: Former NFLPA president resigns amid scandals within union "I feel like I had nothing left to give the organization," Tretter said. "There have been some stories out there about me that aren't true, and I've been asked to sit on that and not talk about it. And that was for the organization, that wasn't for the players. "In the end, I feel like I couldn't do that anymore." Tretter and Howell had been subjects of intense scrutiny over the last month. Revelations from multiple outlets that the union had agreed to two different deals with the NFL to cover up arbitration reports were a big part of that scrutiny. The Boston Globe reported Friday – two days before Tretter's resignation – that a text message criticizing the then-NFLPA president had been circulating among players. 'When will the players rise up and hold Tretter accountable for all this?" it read. "Tretter is the common denominator in all these scandals." NFL GRIEVANCE COVER-UP: Reports: NFL, NFLPA concealed arbitrator report over fake injury complaint One of the arbitration reports that remained concealed stemmed from a grievance the NFLPA filed in 2022, alleging that NFL owners were engaged in collusion to limit the guaranteed money in player contracts. The arbitrator found no instances of collusion but also wrote that a "preponderance of evidence" suggested that the league had encouraged owners to collude. On Tuesday, Tretter said he had neither seen nor had access to the collusion grievance. He also stated that he had no discussions about the case in the months and years between its filing and the arbitrator's report from earlier this year. "Just not part of my job," Tretter said. NFLPA CONTROVERSIES: What to know about Lloyd Howell, JC Tretter resignations He went on to deny other rumors that he had "been angling for the executive director job," noting that he had declined a previous petition to run for the position because it would have meant more time away from his family. "A lot of things have been rolled down to, 'This must be JC's fault,' and that's not where I sit in the organization," Tretter said. "And that's not the type of person I am, and I didn't want people thinking that was the type of person I am." Tretter also walked back the criticism of quarterback Russell Wilson he sent to former NFLPA executive director De Smith in text messages that were revealed in a deposition related to the collusion grievance. "If I knew the league was colluding against Russell, I would apologize, because I would know there's factors outside of his control that were illegal and not allowed to happen."– Former NFLPA President @JCTretter on his text exchange with former NFLPA Exec DeMaurice Smith. Tretter told Patrick he called Wilson a "wuss" for taking less guaranteed money in the five-year, $242.5 million contract extension he signed with the Denver Broncos in 2022. The former union president said it upset him that the deal, which guaranteed $124 million at signing, was a missed opportunity to secure more guaranteed money for players in future contracts. Said Tretter: "If I knew the league was colluding against Russell, I would apologize, because I would know there's factors outside of his control that were illegal and not allowed to happen."
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Packers unveil updated locker room in Lambeau Field ahead of training camp
The Green Bay Packers unveiled a fully updated locker room for players inside Lambeau Field ahead of the start of training camp on Tuesday. All veteran players are reporting to camp on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's opening practice, so Matt LaFleur's team is in for a treat upon reporting back to Green Bay. The new locker room keeps the iconic "G" in the middle but features updated lockers and visuals, new bathrooms and lighting and added seating areas for players. The team provided a full photo gallery of the locker room here. While the previous locker room was fine by NFL standards, an update was necessary and sought after by players. In the NFLPA's grading of teams, the Packers received a B- grade for the locker room, ranking 12th in the NFL. Overall, the locker room was the most common answer from players in terms of needed upgrades, and the Packers listened. A locker room is not only an important space for players but also a selling point for the team when courting free agents and other players. The Packers now have a modernized locker room inside their iconic stadium. The Packers are opening a highly anticipated 2025 season in style. This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers unveil updated locker room in Lambeau Field ahead of training camp
NBC Sports
6 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC Sports
J.C. Tretter reiterates claim that he knew nothing about the hidden collusion ruling
After former NFL Players Association chief strategy officer JC Tretter resigned, he submitted to an interview with Jonathan Jones of On Monday, we raised the question of whether Tretter will be doing more. He will, and he is. Starting on Tuesday with an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. Early in the segment, Tretter said this: 'There's been some stories out there about me that aren't true, and I've been asked to sit on that and not talk about it.' Dan gave Tretter a chance to identify the false reports. Tretter immediately focused on his role, or not, in the hiding of the collusion ruling. 'There's been a lot of narratives spun,' Tretter said. 'The idea that I buried the collusion grievance. I've never seen the collusion grievance. . . . I don't have access to the collusion grievance. I wasn't in any discussions about the collusion grievance, just not part of my job.' So when did he find out about the ruling in the collusion grievance? 'I know we lost the collusion grievance in January,' Tretter said. 'I knew that. I didn't know of any agreements or what was happening with that because it's not part of my department. Once it leaked a few weeks ago, I started learning more. I was on the board [of player representatives] call and the [executive committee] call when it was explained what had happened over the last six months to the players. So I know more now, but at that point I knew nothing. I wasn't involved in the discussions.' If Tretter is telling the truth, how is it possible the chief strategy officer wasn't involved in formulating the strategy for turning the outline into maximum leverage for the players? If it's not part of his job, what's his job? If it's not part of his department, what's his department? And if he wasn't involved in the discussions, why was he even there? Beyond his current job title, Tretter was the link back to the collusion grievance. He was the NFLPA president when it was filed. He testified in the case. He should have been livid to learn that the ruling had been hidden from him, and that a partial win had been dismissed as a loss. And while Tretter initially called it a loss, things he said later in the interview made it clear that he realizes — and believes — it could still become a win. 'Now, this is still pending, so even though it was, quote, hidden, it was in a standstill agreement, and the right to appeal was still there,' Tretter said. 'So the NFLPA is appealing. So this is still open and can potentially change. So this is still a pending investigation or a pending matter. And I hope it comes out or I hope it's proven that we are able to prove those other two pieces [i.e., actual collusion and damages] that are needed to win the entire collusion grievance.' We've since asked the NFLPA for an update on the appeal. While the union used to respond to our questions, that has abruptly stopped in recent days. It's unclear where the directive is coming from, since the union doesn't currently have an executive director. And it's odd that the union would be adopting an adversarial stance with one of the few media outlets that is committed to the principle that people watch football games to see the players, and that the players should get more pay and better treatment than they experience. I'll nevertheless remain committed to that principle, and I'll use this platform to get fans to think twice before blindly lining up behind the laundry.
