MLBPA Leader Tony Clark Resigns Due to Inappropriate Relationship With Sister-in-Law

Clark had been the executive director of MLBPA since 2013.

Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark reportedly stepped down due to revelations of an inappropriate relationship. | Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tony Clark resigned from his post as the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association on Tuesday, and now we know why.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Don Van Natta Jr. are reporting that Clark stepped down after an internal investigation revealed he had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law. She had been hired by the union in 2023.

Clark had been the MLBPA’s executive director since 2013 and was the first former MLB player to hold the position. He led the MLBPA’s collective bargaining agreement negotiations during the 2021–22 lockout and was expected to be the point man for negotiations with the league when the current CBA expires in December. A knock-down, drag-out fight is expected, and the players will have to find someone else to lead them.

Bruce Meyer, the union’s deputy executive director, will be MLBPA’s interim director.

The inappropriate relationship is not the only controversy Clark is facing. The Eastern District of New York is engaged in an ongoing investigation of the finances and dealings of the MLBPA. Much of it centers on OneTeam Partners, a joint licensing and media venture co-owned by the MLBPA and NFLPA that is designed to sell and manage player rights. An internal review of a plan to pay OneTeam executive board members millions was allegedly shut down by Clark and Lloyd Howell, the former executive director of the NFL Players Association, according to a former NFLPA lawyer.

Another aspect of EDNY’s investigation involves Players Way, a for-profit youth baseball company started by the MLBPA. The company has spent millions but has only produced a handful of events, raising suspicions.

This is the kind of drama the MLBPA doesn’t need heading into a critical year where it will need everyone pulling in the same direction. The league’s owners will mostly be unified in their demands for the next CBA, and the players will need to counter with that kind of strength.

Tony Clark bio

The Tigers selected Clark out of high school with the No. 2 pick in the 1990 MLB draft, but he opted to play college basketball at Arizona, then San Diego State, before committing to baseball full-time.

Clark became a legit power-hitting first baseman for Detroit, and topped 30 home runs in 1997, ‘98, and ‘99. He made his lone All-Star team in 2001, which was his final season in Detroit. He dealt with persistent injuries after that, and had his best season after leaving the Tigers in 2005, when he slashed .304/.366/.636 with 30 home runs and 87 RBIs.

During his career, Clark was involved with the MLBPA at several levels. He was part of the union’s collective bargaining agreement team in 2002 and 2006. After his final season in 2009, he was hired as the union’s director of player relations in March 2010. By 20

Clark was unanimously voted executive director of the MLBPA in December 2013, becoming the first player to hold the position. In 2022, he worked to unionize minor league baseball players. After the 2022 season, his contract was extended by five years.

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