Latest news with #Tretter
NBC Sports
15 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC Sports
NFLPA executive committee strongly preferred David White to Lloyd Howell
There's an irony to the finger-pointing in the aftermath of the failed tenure of NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell. During the process that resulted in Howell being hired, the union was ridiculously secretive. No one knew who the candidates were, including the dues-paying members of the union. The board of player representatives, who had the power to vote on the next executive director, didn't know until they showed up for the meeting. Now that Lloyd's two-year stint with the union has gone as well as Thurston's three-hour tour on the Minnow, those who refused to say anything about the process are saying plenty. It started on Sunday afternoon, with the surprise resignation of former NFLPA president and then-NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter via a lengthy interview with Jonathan Jones of From the article: 'For the first time, Tretter now reveals that Howell was not the executive committee's top choice. In a straw poll conducted prior to the candidates being presented, the committee voted 10-1 in favor of [David] White over Howell. Members of the committee did not share their preference with the board.' It's the 'first time' it was revealed because Tretter previously refused to reveal anything. Now that the mop is out for the cleanup on Aisle Howell, Tretter's revelation has a distinct 'don't blame me' vibe to it. And there's more. Tretter also told Jones that Tretter wasn't the one from the executive committee who voted for Howell. Tretter said he preferred White, because White had labor experience. Howell had none. 'So the idea that I was jamming anybody through was false,' Tretter said. Making the 10-1 issue even more strange is the fact that, hours after Tretter's on-the-record quotes emerged, the Washington Post reported the same facts as if they were previously unknown, attributing the information to unnamed sources. But Tretter had already said it with his name on it; that fact wasn't mentioned in the lengthy item from the Post. Regardless, here's the message from Tretter and whoever told the same information to the Post: Don't blame the executive committee for Howell. We wanted the other guy, but the voters never asked for our opinion. That point was underscored by an 'unnamed union source' to Jones and sprinkled into the Tretter interview: 'Maybe [the executive committee] should have given them a recommendation instead of giving the board a binder of information that they won't read, while they golf and drink, to make a decision.' It's hard not to wonder whether the unnamed union source is the same guy who was on the record throughout the article. Routinely, people who are being interviewed will say that certain things are off the record. If those off-the-record comments make it into the final article, they get attributed to an unnamed source. Whether it was or wasn't Tretter, the broader points are these: (1) Tretter seems to be trying to distance himself from the hiring of Howell; and (2) Tretter seems to be blaming the player representatives for picking the wrong guy. There's one last point to make. Given the possibility if not likelihood that Howell resigned because he knew ESPN was about to report on the strip-club expense-report misadventure, it's also possible that Tretter caught wind that the Post would be dropping something about Howell's hiring on Sunday night or Monday morning. Tretter possibly decided to force the issue by preemptively handing to Jones the '10-1" wrinkle that became the first topic of the Post story — and which has been the subject of at least five tweets from the reporter who wrote it. To put it as simply as possible, if Tretter knew the Post would be reporting that the executive committee overwhelmingly supported White over Howell and that Tretter, as NFLPA president at the time, didn't convey that information to the players who voted, Tretter may have concluded that he had no chance of becoming the interim executive director. Which made it the perfect time to declare victory and retreat. After, of course, scooping the Post by handing the biggest news nugget in its story to CBS.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
JC Tretter resigning from NFLPA amid scandals within union
Days after the NFL Players Association's executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned, the favorite to replace him is resigning as well. Former Cleveland Browns center and NFLPA president JC Tretter told CBS Sports that he is resigning from the NFLPA, removing his name from candidacy for the now-vacant executive director position. "Over the last couple days, it has gotten very, very hard for my family. And that's something I can't deal with," Tretter told CBS Sports. "So, the short bullet points are: I have no interest in being [executive director]. I have no interest in being considered; I've let the executive committee know that. I'm also going to leave the NFLPA in the coming days because I don't have anything left to give the organization." NFL, NFLPA explainer: What to know about grievances, Lloyd Howell, next steps Tretter served as president of the NFLPA from 2020 to 2024 and resigns amid multiple scandals involving Howell and the players' union. Howell faced questions after the "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast released a 61-page arbitration report showing the NFL encouraged owners "to reduce guarantees in future contracts with players at the March 2022 annual meeting." Howell, the head of the NFLPA at the time, reached a confidentiality agreement with the NFL that kept players and the public from knowing what was in the report. Since his resignation, reports came out that Howell charged the NFLPA for multiple strip club visits. The "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast also reported another confidential deal between the NFL and the NFLPA on an investigation into fake injuries. Tretter's comments during an interview in 2023 led to the investigation. Tretter was considered a frontrunner to replace Howell in upcoming NFLPA executive director elections. "I'm not resigning because what I've been accused of is true," he told CBS Sports. "I'm not resigning in disgrace. I'm resigning because this has gone too far for me and my family, and I've sucked it up for six weeks. And I felt like I've been kind of left in the wind taking shots for the best of the organization." OPINION: Former NFLPA head Lloyd Howell was sunk by his own secrets NFLPA chief player officer Don Davis is reportedly the other frontrunner and seems poised to take the position. Davis played linebacker for 11 years in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Former NFLPA executive committee member says JC Tretter "seems just as culpable" as Lloyd Howell
There's a storm raging within the NFL Players Association, and at times it feels as if we're in the eye of it. The vast majority of texts and calls to the PFT hotline since the resignation of NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell relate to the next steps for the union. There's plenty of noise, some of which has been posted here — and plenty of which (at least for now) has not been. Our goal isn't to tee up names or play the Game of Thrones game. It's to make sure the players understand what's happening and, ideally, that they reclaim control of their union. Because it seems that both the NFL and NFLPA non-player leadership have weaponized player apathy, any sign that the players are waking up and taking charge is significant. Here's something that has happened within the past day. Sam Acho — a former member of the NFLPA executive committee — has sounded the alarm via Twitter. 'Players who are voting,' Acho said, 'I understand you've been kept out of the loop. Listen to [the Pablo Torre Finds Out] podcast or read the article by [Kalyn Kahler of JC Tretter seems just as culpable (if not more) than Lloyd Howell.' The Acho tweet tags five current members of the board of player representatives: Zaven Collins, Von Miller, Shelby Harris, Cole Kmet, and Zaire Franklin. Acho's plea comes at a time when a text message critical of Tretter has been making the rounds. A longer document entitled 'Risk Assessment of NFLPA Interim Executive Director Candidates' (which focuses only on Tretter) has been circulating, along with rumors that Tretter could be pushing for current NFL Players Inc. president Matt Curtin to become the interim executive director, since Curtin would be likely to keep Tretter in position as chief strategy officer. Meanwhile, the NFLPA has remained largely silent. There's been nothing from NFLPA president Jaylen Reeves-Maybin. Nothing from Tretter. The executive committee's only statement came a week ago, when it vowed to not rush to judgment on Howell. It's therefore very noteworthy that a former member of the executive committee has decided to publicly share his opinions in a public forum, with five members of the board of players representatives specifically mentioned.
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC Sports
Report: Two-man race for NFLPA interim executive director, between JC Tretter and Don Davis
The NFL Players Association's board of player representatives met on Friday night, a day after executive director Lloyd Howell abruptly resigned. The first order of business remains naming an interim executive director, while the search for a new one commences. And the first battle in the unfolding Game of Thrones is this. Via Dianna Russini of 'It's shaping up to be a two-man race: JC Tretter, who has majority support, and Don Davis. There's other names, but these are the lead candidates.' Tretter is the union's chief strategy officer. Davis is the chief player officer. Davis's name first emerged nine days ago, when Howell's grip on the job weakened after ESPN reported on the cartoonish conflict of interest arising from Howell's side gig as a paid consultant with The Carlyle Group, a private-equity fund that has been approved to buy minority interests in NFL teams. Russini followed six minutes later with a critical detail regarding Tretter's candidacy: 'A contingent of NFL players are asking questions and discussing potential legal action against the NFLPA and JC Tretter, citing potential violations around inclusion, labor rights, and misuse of union dues.' This follows the news that a text message critical of Tretter was making the rounds on Friday night. There should be a separate concern regarding the potential elevation of Tretter. At some point, the federal probe regarding Howell's relationship with OneTeam Partners could expand. And the reporting regarding the apparent misuse of dues by Howell could spark it. Tretter's proximity to Howell could make it difficult for Howell to avoid any/all scrutiny regarding whatever the feds may scrutinize. The NFLPA Constitution contains no procedure for naming an executive director. That could, in theory, give the executive committee the ability to Al Haig the situation and install Tretter, without regard to what the board specifically or the players generally want. And while Tretter surely has accused and/or will accuse folks like Pablo Torre and me of working against him, here's the inescapable truth. Tretter engineered the process that resulted in Howell being hired, disqualifying warts and all. Then, Howell hired Tretter for an executive-level job that previously didn't exist. Tretter disparaged quarterback Russell Wilson for not insisting on a fully-guaranteed contract from the Broncos. He was involved in, if not responsible for (given his job title), the strategy to hide the partial win in the collusion case from membership. His ridiculous comments to Ross Tucker from July 2023 about faking injuries resulted in a slam-dunk grievance from the league, which possibly was hidden as part of the quid pro quo that required the NFLPA to pipe down about its rare hand-in-cookie-jar victory against the Management Council and the Commissioner. That's just the stuff we know about. Outside counsel continues to investigate Howell's activities. And with each additional finding (such as the strip-club expense-report fiasco), Tretter's judgment in teeing up Howell through a closed, top-secret process with two candidates looks worse and worse. If, however, the executive committee and/or the board of player representatives were to make Tretter the interim executive director, we'd suggest an important threshold condition — Tretter must commit to not seeking the permanent job. As the picture has come into focus in recent weeks, one possible strategy has become clear for the chief strategy officer: One, get Howell hired. Two, get Howell to hire me. Three, position myself to replace Howell when he retires. The twist has been that Howell left much earlier than anticipated. Tretter could simply be accelerating his plan. But even if Tretter is the best bad option to replace Howell temporarily, it's difficult if not impossible to conclude based on the information that has come to light that he'd be the best good option to lead the union into an objects-are-closer-than-they-appear Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiation, which is certain to include the NFL pushing for more games for the teams — and less money (per dollar earned) for the players.
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC Sports
Report: Text message critical of JC Tretter is being "shared among" NFL players
With NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell out, it's more than fair to be curious about the future of NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter. And we're not the only ones who have curiosity. Tretter served as NFLPA president when a top-secret process resulted in Howell being hired. Then, after Tretter was no longer eligible to serve as NFLPA president, Howell hired Tretter into the newly-created position of chief strategy officer. Early Friday, long-time NFLPA security officer Craig Jones raised, in poetic fashion, internal questions about Tretter. Via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, a text message questioning Tretter is 'being shared among NFL players.' Here's the text of it: 'When will the players rise up and hold Tretter accountable for all this? Tretter is the common denominator in all these scandals. We know Tretter: 1) Bent the rules to hire Howell; 2) Covered up Howell's background check; 3) Had knowledge of Howell's financial arrangement with Carlyle Group; 4) Kept the Arbitration decision (Drory [sic]) from his members; 5) Kept the Arbitration decision (Moreland) from his members that found he blatantly violated the CBA.' The text message is being circulated at a time when there's talk, we're told, that some members of the NFLPA executive committee want to name Tretter the interim executive director. It would be a stunning move, if it happens. It would also be the latest in a string of objectively stunning moves that are far more understandable once it's understood that enough players are not paying attention to union business to allow a small handful of them to do whatever they want.
