Report: NFL players circulating critical message about JC Tretter
NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell resigned, but now scrutiny has turned to JC Tretter as a critical text message circulates.
Amid the recent resignation of NFL Player’s Association executive director Lloyd Howell, scrutiny has turned to JC Tretter, the union’s chief strategy officer and former NFLPA president.
The best part about these NFLPA statements of support for Lloyd Howell is that the union already knew he had racked up more than $10K in strip club expenses and STILL backed him.
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) July 18, 2025
What was NFLPA strategy czar @JCTretter thinking? pic.twitter.com/CMzRaSYdXu
Players question Tretter’s role in union scandals after Howell’s exit
Tretter was the president of the NFLPA but when his eligibility ran out, Howell hired him to a new position instead - chief strategy offer.
A critical text message questioning Tretter’s role in multiple union controversies is circulating among NFL players. The message accuses Tretter of:
- Bending rules to install Howell as director
- Covering up parts of Howell’s background check
- Knowing about Howell’s ties to the Carlyle Group
- Hiding arbitration rulings from union members, including findings of CBA violations
This is what the text actually reads:
“When will the players rise up and hold Tretter accountable for all this? Tretter is the common denominator in all these scandals. We know Tretter: 1) Bent the rules to hire Howell; 2) Covered up Howell’s background check; 3) Had knowledge of Howell’s financial arrangement with Carlyle Group; 4) Kept the Arbitration decision (Drory [sic]) from his members; 5) Kept the Arbitration decision (Moreland) from his members that found he blatantly violated the CBA."
Despite this, some members of the NFLPA executive committee are reportedly considering Tretter as the interim executive director, a move seen as tone-deaf given his alleged involvement in recent scandals. This highlights concerns about low player engagement, which may allow a few insiders to control major union decisions.
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