Ousted NFLPA Executive Made Bizarre O.J. Simpson-Inspired Request for Parking Spot

Lloyd Howell resigned as NFLPA executive director amid multiple investigations into his tenure.

Lloyd Howell resigned as NFLPA executive director after investigations into the burying of a collusion ruling, his role with a private equity firm looking to buy into NFL ownership and his own personal conduct. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When Lloyd Howell rolled into the NFLPA offices in his Porsche Cayenne Turbo, he wanted everyone to know that he had the Juice.

Howell's brief reign atop the NFL players' association came to an end last week, as he became the subject of extreme scrutiny. Howell infamously expensed strip club trips while serving as the union's executive director, but concerns had also been raised about his past at contracting giant Booz Allen, potential conflicts of interest stemming from his role moonlighting for private equity company, The Carlyle Group, and his role in burying the results of a collusion case filed against the league.

Along with Meadowlark Media's Pablo Torre and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler have been at the helm of the investigations into Howell's many alleged indiscretions. In a report diving into his chaotic two-year tenure with the union, the pair detailed how Howell failed to ingratiate himself with the league's players and others at the union.

Multiple sources told ESPN that Howell was an infrequent presence at the union's offices. When he did show up, however, it was in a flashy car parked in a special double spot that, for some reason, paid homage to O.J. Simpson:

Patrick Bateman vibes. https://t.co/b2Qs0Djvsw pic.twitter.com/xNVJ89Cwy0

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) July 23, 2025

Personal preference is one thing, but praise for Simpson—the former NFL star running back accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994—has been considered a third rail in the football world for years. Simpson was ultimately acquitted in '95 after perhaps the most famous trial in U.S. history, and died in 2024.

The compounding scandals also led to the resignation of former NFLPA president and chief strategy officer JC Tretter, who had been considered a favorite to take over Howell's position. The two vacancies leave a major power vacuum at the union at a crucial time for the league, with the owners and commissioner Roger Goodell seeking to add an 18th game to the schedule and just five years until the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement.

---

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed