JC Tretter served as NFLPA player president from 2020 to 2024. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
JC Tretter has resigned from the NFLPA and removed himself from consideration as the union’s interim executive director, he confirmed on social media.
Tretter made his initial announcement Sunday in an interview with CBS. Tretter, the NFLPA player president from 2020 to 2024, took over as chief strategy officer in October. His resignation announcement came three days after NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell resigned from his role amid multiple controversies.
“Over the last couple days, it has gotten very, very hard for my family,” Tretter, who was expected to be a candidate to replace Howell, told CBS. “And that’s something I can’t deal with. So, the short bullet points are: I have no interest in being [executive director]. I have no interest in being considered; I’ve let the executive committee know that. I’m also going to leave the NFLPA in the coming days because I don’t have anything left to give the organization.
“I want to get my story out there, and I don’t want it to look like this was sour grapes or I didn’t get the job and I wanted the job. All I want to do is tell my story and then go be with my family.”
Tretter was criticized over the last week due to his alleged involvement in some of the controversies that ultimately led to Howell’s resignation, including reported knowledge that the league and union colluded to prevent players from receiving fully guaranteed-contracts. He denies those allegations.
Howell, who was elected in 2023, resigned as NFLPA executive director Thursday night. Previous executive director DeMaurice Smith held the role for 14 years — from 2009 to 2023.
Last month, the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast obtained a 61-page arbitration report, which included a ruling by an independent arbitrator stating that there was insufficient evidence to prove collusion by NFL team owners to prevent players from receiving fully-guaranteed contracts. However, that report also included findings that the league encouraged owners to “reduce guarantees in future contracts with players” at a March 22 annual league meeting.
Additional reporting found that the union and league reached an agreement to keep those findings confidential. Howell also was the center of several other controversies, including a sexual discrimination and retaliation lawsuit. ESPN reported Friday that Howell also expensed the union for trips to strip clubs during his tenure as executive director, triggering additional criticism on social media.
Howell said Friday that his leadership had “become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day.”
NFLPA chief player officer Don Davis, executive director of the NFLPA trust Zamir Cobb and NFLPA associate general counsel Ned Enrlich are expected to be among the candidates to replace Howell.
Former NFLPA executive committee member Ben Watson wrote Saturday on X that the union “would be wise to remove Tretter” from his role. He also endorsed Davis’ candidacy. Several other former players also criticized Tretter in social media posts over the weekend.
“I’m not resigning because what I’ve been accused of is true,” Howell told CBS. “… I’m not resigning in disgrace. I’m resigning because this has gone too far for me and my family, and I’ve sucked it up for six weeks. And I felt like I’ve been kind of left in the wind taking shots for the best of the organization.”
