Former NFL Players Association president JC Tretter will not be stepping into the role of the union’s next executive director. Instead, the individual poised to succeed Lloyd Howell, who resigned on Thursday, has stated he will be departing the PA “in the coming days.”
In a conversation with CBS Sports, Tretter voiced his disappointment regarding recent media coverage and scrutiny of his leadership. The ex-Packers and Browns center held the position of NFLPA president from 2020 until 2024, overseeing Howell’s appointment by the NFL’s representative board in 2023. Following his tenure with the organization, Tretter was brought on in October as chief strategy officer.
“In the past six weeks, I believe a lot of the criticism directed at me originated from within the organization,” Tretter remarked during his CBS Sports interview. “And I no longer wish to enter that environment.”
In June, some players criticized the union leadership regarding its management of a January arbitration verdict that indicated a “clear preponderance” of evidence suggesting NFL representatives had advised teams to refrain from offering guaranteed contracts after Deshaun Watson’s historic $230 million deal. This ruling was reportedly not disclosed to the union’s membership. The NFLPA has announced plans to appeal the decision, which concluded that team owners did not conspire to suppress player salaries.
“It’s evident that my leadership has become a distraction from the vital work the NFLPA conducts daily,” Howell mentioned in his resignation statement, coinciding with reports about him submitting expense claims related to trips to strip clubs.
In the previously confidential arbitration verdict, Tretter was noted for criticizing quarterback Russell Wilson for accepting a non-guaranteed contract from the Broncos. Additionally, the NFL previously prevailed in a grievance case against the union after Tretter mentioned the potential for individual players to feign injuries while negotiating new contracts.
On Friday, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reported via X that NFL players were circulating a text message asking, “When will the players unite and hold Tretter accountable for all this?”
Nonetheless, The Athletic reported on Friday that Tretter remained a strong candidate to fill the role left vacant by Howell, potentially on an interim basis. NBCSports and the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast have speculated that Tretter may have been maneuvering for the top position for some time.
CBS Sports noted that former players and long-standing union members Don Davis and Zamir Cobb continue to be contenders for the executive director position. The NFLPA is anticipated to announce a successor in the near future, and the union opted not to comment on Tretter’s decision.
“I’m not resigning in shame,” Tretter stated to CBS Sports. “I’m resigning because this has escalated beyond what I can manage for my family, and I’ve endured it for six weeks. I feel like I’ve been taking hits for the organization’s best interests.”
The recent exits follow months after an ESPN report revealing that federal prosecutors were looking into financial arrangements associated with licensing firm OneTeam Partners, which was co-founded by both the NFLPA and the MLBPA.
Image Source: JC Tretter @ Instagram
