8 hours ago 1

Petition emerges to remove Lloyd Howell as NFLPA executive director

The heat is on.

The various scandals and issues engulfing NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell seemingly reached critical mass on Thursday morning, with the report from ESPN.com that he works as a part-time consultant for a private-equity fund that is on the short list of companies than can buy a minority interest in NFL teams.

Now, a Change.org petition has emerged, calling for his ouster.

The petition cites several grounds for removal: (1) alleged financial misconduct at his previous employment with Booz Allen Hamilton; (2) the “secretive and corrupt” hiring process that resulted in Howell getting the job in June 2023; (3) the “catastrophic” decision to terminate a trading-card deal with Panini, which resulted in a $7 million arbitration award and even more in legal fees; (4) the OneTeam Partners investigation and associated FBI probe; (5) the “hidden” collusion ruling; and (6) the conflict of interest from his part-time employment with The Carlyle Group.

“Lloyd Howell has failed on every measure,” the petition contends. “His continued leadership threatens the union’s credibility, wastes player resources, and compromises the NFLPA’s ability to effectively advocate for NFL players.”

On one level, the petition means nothing. It’s a viable P.R. tool, at best. A cheap publicity stunt, at worst.

At a deeper level, the mere existence of the petition could prompt the Board of Player Representatives to take action. Under the NFLPA Constitution, a two thirds of the player reps present at a meeting attended by at least two thirds of all player reps is sufficient to remove the executive director.