With the preseason tapes being dissected by teams all around the league, a new headline has taken hold of the NFLPA. In the past couple of months, allegations of collusion against players have already rattled the union, with many voicing grievances. Remember the Ravens–Jackson saga? Now, the spotlight shifts to the union’s own work environment.

The upheaval began in early August when the NFL Players Association named David White as interim executive director just 17 days after Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned. That announcement was supposed to bring stability, yet instead, a storm is brewing as reports surface of multiple internal complaints, hinting that the real battles may be inside the union walls.

At the eye of the storm is Heather McPhee, associate general counsel for the NFLPA since 2009, who is now the subject of explosive workplace allegations. Reports claim she failed to follow supervisors’ directions, bullied colleagues, and disrupted the union’s work environment, as per ESPN. The NFLPA has taken further steps against her, escalating an already volatile situation inside the organization. Before the NFLPA proves these allegations, it needs to provide extensive proof to counter the claims of retaliation.

The decision to place McPhee on leave comes months after her own accusations helped spark a federal investigation. The probe is focused on the financial dealings of the NFLPA and MLBPA in connection with OneTeam Partners, their $2 billion licensing company. McPhee had retained legal counsel in June as the FBI inquiry into the unions’ relationship with OneTeam intensified. The fact that the licensing firm is 44.5% owned by the NFLPA makes matters murkier.

All these had been brewing for the past couple of months. On May 30, McPhee sent a memo to the NFLPA executive committee revealing federal investigators had contacted her about OneTeam Partners and the NFLPA. According to Kaplan, McPhee wrote that she was ordered to stop working on the OneTeam investigation “with the threat of employment discipline.” That directive added more fuel to the already brewing internal conflict.

David White, the NFLPA’s interim executive director, signed a letter dated Tuesday that officially outlined the workplace allegations against McPhee. On August 14, the ESPN reporter read portions of the letter, and all the information came to light. Sources added that the NFLPA had hired outside law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe months ago to investigate the accusations. This sets the stage for a battle that could shake the union from the inside out.

Heather McPhee finds herself in the middle of legal storms

Heather McPhee and her lawyer, William Pittard, have not commented. An NFLPA spokesperson also declined to offer any statement. Sources familiar with the situation said Matt Curtin—head of NFL Players Inc. and a OneTeam board member—was among those who filed complaints. Former director Lloyd Howell hired Curtin, who was once in the running for interim executive director before JC Tretter abruptly resigned as NFLPA chief strategy officer.

The legal battle could expose information the public has never seen. The potential case will likely bring intense scrutiny to the union’s internal operations and leadership decisions. McPhee previously pushed the NFLPA to investigate claims that OneTeam board members awarded themselves equity shares. In response, the NFLPA hired attorney Richard Smith to review the OneTeam agreement. Smith completed his review of the NFLPA’s interactions with OneTeam in March, but McPhee accused Howell of wrongfully halting it. Her whistleblower status remains unverified.

McPhee’s history includes prior legal trouble. In May 2017, police arrested her on charges of driving under the influence and resisting arrest, according to court documents obtained exclusively by Circa. Records show prosecutors later charged her with operating a vehicle while impaired, and she entered a guilty plea. The complaint alleges she resisted officers during the arrest and repeatedly said, “Really, dude,” to the arresting officers.

A veteran of NFLPA legal battles, McPhee once represented Tom Brady. She also defended former Baltimore Ravens‘ Ray Rice in his appeal of the league’s indefinite suspension. Now, she faces multiple allegations, although the scope of the investigation is yet unknown. The headlines come only months after explosive claims over fully guaranteed contracts shook the league’s labor front.