Report: NBPA could target ATF director if Billy Hunter is ousted

Player support of NBPA executive director Billy Hunter is waning. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter's fate has not been decided, but if he is let go by the union, a top government official could take his place, reports Yahoo! Sports. 

B. Todd Jones, who is the acting director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, will be sought after if Hunter is fired by the union. Hunter was placed on indefinite leave last week following a report that showed some questionable business practices on his part.

"Unfortunately, it appears that union management has lost sight of the NBPA's only task, to serve the best interests of their membership," said NBPA president Derek Fisher.

Fisher, several prominent agents, executive committee members and player reps are pushing for a vote to oust Hunter over the Feb. 15-17 All-Star weekend in Houston. Even with an erosion of support, Hunter is still trying to find a way to hold onto his job.

Several players, including Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, have spoken out and said the league's stars need to take an active role in union matters.

“We might want to grab the bull by its horns, so to speak, and lead the charge a little bit,” Bryant said Tuesday to the New York Times."I don’t know where that’s going, I haven’t spoken to Derek to get any insight and see what he knows from his vantage point of what’s going on. But it just looks like a mess right now."