Ex-NFLPA Boss Lloyd Howell Jr. Resigns From Private Equity Role Amid Ongoing Scandal

The saga continues.

Lloyd Howell Jr. is out as the NFLPA executive director. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Amid the ongoing scandal surrounding the NFL Players Association, Lloyd Howell Jr.—who resigned from his role as the union's executive director last Thursday—has now also stepped down from the Carlyle Group, according to ESPN's Don Van Natta.

Howell Jr. was serving as a consultant for the private equity firm, which was recently added to a list of approved groups able to seek minority ownership stakes in NFL franchises. Understandably, his association with the firm caused conflict-of-interest concerns. Van Natta added on X (formerly Twitter) that a spokesman for the Group “refused to say when Howell resigned and why.”

While Howell Jr. cited his resignation from the union was due to his "leadership [becoming] a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day," ESPN reported last week that the decision also followed the PA receiving documents showing he had expensed multiple strip club visits—one of which included more than $2,400 in charges.

The union is in for some serious change in 2025, as JC Tretter—who was also tied up in the middle of the saga—resigned from his post as chief strategy officer on Sunday. He was originally considered a top candidate for the vacant executive director role despite a clamoring for a change in leadership.

Quite the start to the 2025 NFL season.

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