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CNN
19-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
NFLPA head Lloyd Howell Jr. steps down amid reports he expensed trips to strip clubs
NFL Players Association (NFLPA) Executive Director Lloyd Howell Jr. has stepped down from his role amid various controversies, including reports on Friday that he expensed the union for trips to strip clubs. 'It's clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day,' Howell said in a statement late on Thursday night. '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.' CNN has reached out the NFLPA and to Howell Jr., through the union, for comment. According to Reuters, which cited ESPN, receipts from a trip taken by Howell in Novemember 2023 showed that the NFLPA was billed for a car service and other costs by Tootsie's Cabaret in Miami, which claims to be the largest strip club in the world. Citing ESPN, Reuters also reported that a second strip club bill was also reviewed by the NFLPA's lawyers, relating to a reported trip in February during the NFLPA summit and itemizing $2,426 in charges, which included cash withdrawals from a club ATM ranging between $200 and $525. Howell reportedly earned between $3.5 million and $4 million in his role with the NFLPA. That was not the only controversy which Howell has become embroiled in during the last two weeks. Citing ESPN, Reuters reported that alongside his commitments to the NFLPA, Howell also held a part-time consultancy role with The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm that the NFL reportedly approved to pursue minority ownership in NFL franchises. This has been viewed by many as a serious conflict of interest. On top of that, Reuters – citing ESPN – also reported that Howell had decided to keep NFL players in the dark over an arbitration ruling on suspected collusion between team owners. Amid concerns that owners were coming together to reduce the growth of quarterback contracts, arbitrator Christopher Droney ruled there was not sufficient evidence to support the claims, per Reuters. However, he added that 'by a clear preponderance of the evidence,' the NFL's general counsel, along with commissioner Roger Goodell, did encourage owners to restrict guaranteed money in player contracts, the agency reported. According to reports, Howell and the NFLPA had a confidentiality agreement with the NFL designed to stop the full report from leaking. Although Howell did brief players on the matter, he did not give them copies of the report, according to Reuters, which cited ESPN. 'I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish at the NFLPA over the past two years,' Howell added in his statement. '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.'
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-NFLPA head Lloyd Howell reportedly resigned after charging union for strip club visits totaling over $3,000
Former NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell resigned Thursday night after an outside investigator reportedly discovered Howell charged the union for multiple strip club visits, according to ESPN. Howell allegedly charged the union $738.82 on one receipt and another $2,426 during a separate strip club visit. The first receipt stems from an alleged visit to a strip club in Miami Gardens. On Nov. 2, 2023, Howell was reportedly picked up at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport at 10:26 p.m. He allegedly had that car drive him to an address in Miami Gardens, which turned out to be a strip club named Tootsie's Cabaret. Around 6:00 a.m. the following morning, that car allegedly drove Howell to his condo in Sunny Isles Beach. Howell reportedly submitted an expense totaling $738.82 to the union. One of the union's finance workers was curious about the cost of the ride, looked up the Miami Gardens address and discovered it was a strip club, per ESPN. That employee sent the request up the chain for review. The head of travel for the union reportedly forwarded the receipt and documents to union lawyers to review the situation, sources told ESPN. Howell allegedly submitted a similar expense over a year later. He reportedly charged the union $2,426 after taking two employees to Magic City strip club in Atlanta. The purpose of the outing was reportedly listed as "Player Engagement Event to support & grow our Union" on the receipt. Howell reportedly encouraged one of the employees who attended the strip club to also submit an expense report. That employee filed for $736. Bob Stropp, a veteran labor lawyer, spoke to ESPN about the 2023 incident. Stropp called Howell's actions "horrible," among other things. "That's pretty horrible," said Stropp, 77, the former general counsel of the United Mine Workers of America. "That's unbelievable. I don't know how you get around that. It's hard to believe that anyone would be that stupid." It's not the first time Howell has allegedly come under fire due to a strip club expense report. In 2015, Howell and another employee at Booz Allen, where Howell worked at the time, reportedly racked up thousands of dollars in expenses during a visit to a strip club. The employee attempted to submit an expense report for that visit. That employee was fired and Howell was reportedly reprimanded. The incident reportedly occurred while Howell was a defendant in a sexual discrimination lawsuit filed by a Booz Allen partner. Details of that lawsuit came to light in an ESPN report Thursday. It was unclear whether NFLPA members knew about Howell's involvement in the sexual discrimination lawsuit when he was elected to be the next NFLPA executive director. Booz Allen eventually settled that lawsuit for an undisclosed sum, per ESPN. ESPN's report Thursday marked the fourth time this offseason Howell's actions as NFLPA executive director came under scrutiny. Journalists Mike Florio and Pablo Torre previously unearthed two grievance rulings the NFL and NFLPA worked to keep secret. One of those rulings found evidence of collusion among teams, a potentially explosive revelation that Howell not only worked to keep out of the public, but also may have tried to keep from players. After the first grievance filing came to light, Howell's consulting work with The Carlyle Group also received attention. Howell began working with the company, which is an NFL-approved private equity firm seeking minority ownership in NFL franchises, prior to being elected by the NFLPA. Given the Carlyle Group's ties to the league, Howell's consulting role was seen by some as a conflict of interest. Howell was reportedly asked to resign from his position with The Carlyle Group before taking over as NFLPA executive director, but declined to do so. Despite the sexual discrimination lawsuit and his consulting work, Howell emerged as a finalist to take over for DeMaurice Smith as the NFLPA executive director. Howell was elected into that role in 2024 after a vote by the 32 player reps. In his position as NFLPA executive director, Howell made $3.6 million last year.
