NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell announced his resignation Thursday after a month of criticism over his leadership and past, via a statement released by the union.

Howell conceded “it’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day.” His resignation is effective immediately.

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The union’s executive committee sent a text to its players confirming that Howell is stepping down and promising to convene soon to discuss next steps. Per Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein, Howell was not forced or pressured to resign.

ESPN also reports some members of the executive committee were surprised by the resignation.

Howell joined the NFLPA in 2022 after 34 years at the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, most recently serving as chief financial officer and treasurer. He succeeded DeMaurice Smith, who served as executive director for 14 years.

Why Lloyd Howell resigned from the NFLPA

The story that ultimately doomed Howell’s tenure came late last month, when Pablo Torre and Mike Florio reported that the NFL and NFLPA buried a ruling on a collusion grievance that saw an arbitrator conclude that the league encouraged its teams to reduce guaranteed money in 2022 after Deshaun Watson’s unprecedented, fully guaranteed contract.

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The NFL actually won the grievance because the arbitrator, Christopher Droney, concluded he could not prove by a “clear preponderance” that NFL teams acted on that advice, but it still left a damning sentence on page 55 of a 61-page document:

“There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the Commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans’ contracts at the March 2022 annual owners’ meeting.”

The NFL’s reason for suppressing that conclusion is obvious. It validates many critics’ portrayals of a league willing to color outside the lines to suppress player compensation in any way it can get away with.

What was less clear was why the NFLPA agreed with the NFL that the public, and more notably the players, didn’t need to see that a neutral observer concluded that its main adversary was acting in such a way. Questions abounded for Howell and the rest of the union’s leadership, and it got worse as the weeks went on.

ESPN reported on July 9 that the NFLPA agreed with the league to keep the collusion finding a secret. ESPN reported on July 10 that Howell appeared to have a massive conflict of interest by working as a part-time consultant for the Carlyle Group, an NFL-approved private equity firm seeking minority ownership in NFL franchises.

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Torre and Florio reported earlier Thursday that the league and union suppressed another grievance in which former NFLPA president JC Tretter was found to have violated the CBA. And later Thursday, it was reported that Howell had been sued for sexual discrimination and retaliation at his previous job, which the executive committee may or may not have known about before electing him.

The executive committee defended Howell in the middle of this in a leaked memo, but all of that pressure came to a head Thursday, with Howell offering the ability to clean the slate.

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell’s full resignation statement

Two years ago, I accepted the role of Executive Director of the NFLPA because I believe deeply in the mission of this union and the power of collective action to drive positive change for the players of America’s most popular sport. Our members deserve a union that will fight relentlessly for their health, safety, financial futures, and long-term well-being. My priority has been to lead that fight by serving this union with focus and dedication.

It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day. For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately. I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.

I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish at the NFLPA over the past two years. I will be rooting for the players from the sidelines as loud as ever, and I know the NFLPA will continue to ensure that players remain firmly at the center of football’s future.