This seems like a pretty embarrassing time to be a member of the NFLPA. Not only has a series of reports revealed that executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. is at best a pushover for the owners and at worst someone whose own interests are actively aligned against those of the players, but now the union has demonstrated itself incapable of releasing a legible statement.
Last week, ESPN dropped a pair of stories that seemed to herald Howell's resignation. The first reported that NFLPA senior leaders struck a deal with NFL owners, in which they agreed to keep the bombshell results of an arbitration case about collusion a secret from the players. The second report revealed that Howell works as a part-time consultant for the Carlyle Group, which is attempting to buy ownership stakes throughout the league.
A union facing this kind of controversy, one that directly implicates its executive director, would be best served taking decisive action and ensuring its members that their best interests are being protected. The NFLPA executive committee shared a statement with players today that accomplished none of those things. Via ESPN's Adam Schefter:
As members of the NFLPA Executive Committee, we categorically reject false reports insinuating doubts within this committee or suggestions that we have asked our Executive Director to step down. We further reject attempts to mischaracterize the committee's views or divide our membership. We have established a deliberate process to carefully assess the issues that have been raised and will not engage in a rush to judgement. We believe in and remain committed to working with our Executive Director and other members of NFLPA staff and player leadership who have a shared mission to advance the best interests of players. As we approach the 2025 season, we look forward to continuing our important work together and ensuring the strength and unity of our association.
Nothing inspires less confidence in an organization than an official statement that begins by talking about "false reports," and this one isn't helped by the fact that it reads as a contradiction. If the executive committee is not currently harboring any "doubts" about the union's leadership, then why has it also "established a deliberate process to carefully assess the issues that have been raised" by recent reports? And if that process is ongoing, how can the executive committee have already determined that it remains "committed to working with" Howell?
This union needs an editor.
