JC Tretter, among favorites to lead NFLPA, resigns: Source

JC Tretter, considered one of two favorites to take over as interim executive director of the NFL Players Association, resigned from the organization Sunday, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.

A source briefed on the procedure said the NFLPA executive board still plans to meet in the coming days to determine a process for selecting an interim executive director. The NFLPA had no comment on Tretter’s decision, which was first reported by CBS Sports.

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Tretter’s resignation added to what has been a tumultuous few days for the players’ union.

Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned as executive director Thursday night after weeks of negative headlines surrounding his leadership, including reports by ESPN, Pro Football Talk and “Pablo Torre Finds Out.” The findings included the NFLPA’s reaching a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to hide information about an arbitration decision involving potential collusion around guaranteed contracts, as well as concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving Howell’s consulting work for a private equity group approved by the league to pursue minority ownership stakes.

Then, Friday, ESPN reported Howell had expensed the union for two trips to strip clubs, for which he was reprimanded.

In the wake of Howell’s resignation, player reps from all 32 NFL teams, plus several additional voices, met on a call Friday night to discuss the future leadership of the NFLPA. Based on the discussion, the race for the next executive director was down to two candidates: Tretter, who was said to have the majority of support, and Don Davis, who several league sources have shared has had a strong push from players.

But in a lengthy interview published Sunday by CBS, Tretter said he did not want to be considered for the interim executive director job, nor be a part of the NFLPA. He referred to media speculation that he wanted that job as a “mistruth.”

Tretter also told CBS that Howell was not the top choice of the executive committee when he was hired in 2023, though the larger player board vote (composed of representatives from all 32 teams) swung in Howell’s favor.

Tretter, though, championed initial changes in the election process (which were approved by player vote) that saw the executive committee and a search firm vet candidates before presenting a select number of finalists to the broader player representatives. Candidate names were kept private except to sports executive search firm Russell Reynolds and to the executive committee, with finalists revealed and then presented to the board of player representatives at the time of the vote. At the time, that process was criticized by some around the league for its perceived lack of transparency.

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As far as the reprimand of Howell over expensing strip club visits, Tretter told CBS Sports that it did not come up during the election process and that he had found out about it only recently.

“It’s a poor decision. It can’t be done,” Tretter said. “And I think he left that day for a reason.”

Also something to watch: A contingent of NFL players are asking questions and discussing potential legal action against the NFLPA and JC Tretter, citing potential violations around inclusion, labor rights, and misuse of union dues. More to come… — Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) July 19, 2025

Like Howell, Tretter has faced scrutiny about his actions while with the organization, and a contingent of NFL players has been discussing potential legal action against the NFLPA and Tretter, citing potential violations around inclusion, labor rights and misuse of union dues.

And this comes on the heels of a second arbitration ruling that came to light July 17, this one involving a grievance won by the NFL against the NFLPA over fake injuries. The original grievance, filed in 2023, stemmed from a comment made by Tretter, former union president and current NFLPA chief strategy officer, in which he suggested players could fake injuries as a contract-negotiation tactic. A decision was reached Feb. 20 in which arbitrator Sidney Moreland determined Tretter’s comments violated the collective bargaining agreement.

(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)

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