Lloyd Howell, the embattled executive director of the NFL Players Association, quit Thursday night after weeks of reporting called into question his ability to continue in the role.
At least three outlets—ESPN, the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, and ProFootballTalk—have broken a steady stream of stories about Howell in recent weeks. It began when Torre and PFT’s Mike Florio reported that the NFL and NFLPA hid a bombshell arbitrator’s ruling in a union grievance about collusion, surprising even current players. It only snowballed from there.
Among the other revelations about Howell, some of which were detailed in a petition calling for his removal:
- He declined to leave his part-time role at private equity firm Carlyle, a potential conflict of interest as Carlyle is approved to buy stakes in NFL teams.
- He was sued for sexual discrimination in 2011 while working as an executive at Booz Allen.
- Booz Allen later paid a $377 million fine to the government for its conduct while Howell was its chief financial officer.
Howell took on the role in 2023 and was paid at least $3.6 million annually. “It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day,” Howell said in a Thursday night statement. “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,” he said.
“Lloyd Howell’s resignation is a gratifying reminder that journalism can still hold some of the most powerful people in sports accountable,” Torre told Front Office Sports in an email. “But my reporting—and this story—isn’t over yet.”
The NFLPA’s executive committee had aggressively backed Howell before his resignation and was reportedly set to meet to appoint an interim director. The NFL did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Carlyle declined to comment, but Howell was still listed as an “operating executive” on the company’s site as of Friday morning.
— Ben Horney contributed reporting.
