Back in 2023, there were already whispers. When Mike Florio reported that newly appointed NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell had spent over three decades at Booz Allen Hamilton… Yup, the firm that helped Pete Rozelle execute the NFL-AFL merger… it raised eyebrows. Howell highlighted the history himself at his introductory press conference, pointing out Booz Allen’s deep roots in the league’s business infrastructure. The firm helped smooth over antitrust fears, inter-league friction, and city-market overlap in 1966. And while Howell clarified he wasn’t personally involved in Booz Allen’s more recent analytics work for NFL teams, his background in corporate consulting never sat comfortably with some players. He had no relationship with Roger Goodell, he claimed.

But given the past ties between Howell’s world and the league office, the tension between labor and management felt a little too… cozy. Now, in 2025, the NFLPA is weathering its first true crisis under Howell. And it’s not minor. So, here it is. Explosive reports this week point to widespread player dissatisfaction. From a federal probe into OneTeam Partners’ finances to the union allegedly burying a collusion ruling, the optics are brutal. Then came the biggest blow! Howell’s paid role with The Carlyle Group—an investment firm recently cleared to hold minority stakes in NFL franchises. However, many players think it to be a conflict of interest. Even the union’s July 12 statement, trying to steady the ship, read more like damage control. And when JJ Watt, the unofficial conscience of the locker room, called it out publicly? It went off.

The Texans legend raised a major red flag by posting two portions of the statement. It read, “We categorically reject false reports insinuating doubts.” That seems fine, right? But it continued, “We have established a deliberate process to carefully assess the issues that have been raised and will not engage in a rush to judgment.” So, for those who still did not identify it, here’s the twist. JJ Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, called out the contradiction immediately by adding, “Those are contradicting statements…” Watt’s critique lands hard. The NFLPA first dismisses any doubt. And then, it admits to conducting a “deliberate process” to investigate concerns. So, which is it, false gossip or legitimate unrest?

Meanwhile, the timing is explosive. Howell, who took over in June 2023, already faced backlash over hiding the arbitration ruling that revealed league pressure to limit guaranteed NFL contracts. On top of that, his dual role with Carlyle, a firm under NFL approval, deepened concerns about conflict of interest.

Watt’s implications? The NFLPA is trying to have it both ways, telling players that we trust Lloyd while simultaneously saying that we’re investigating Lloyd. For someone with JJ Watt’s credibility, this isn’t minor PR spin, it’s a credibility crisis.

As the union enters critical negotiations over revenue splits, practice rules, and possibly an 18-game schedule, Watt’s skepticism could reflect a brewing deeper issue. And with public figures like him peeling back the polish, more players may begin to ask the same hard questions.

Lloyd Howell caught in collusion controversy that shakes NFLPA’s core

The NFL Players Association is facing its most serious internal crisis in over a decade, and at the center of it all is executive director Lloyd Howell, embroiled in a deepening collusion controversy that has triggered distrust, backlash, and questions about his fitness to lead.

The controversy traces back to a bombshell arbitration ruling from earlier this year that confirmed what many players long suspected. NFL owners had colluded to suppress fully guaranteed contracts. Howell and other NFLPA leadership kept the ruling, which should have been a rallying cry for the union, quiet, with rank-and-file players only learning about it months later, through leaks to the media.

Worse yet, the controversy has dovetailed with Howell’s personal financial ties to the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm recently approved to buy minority stakes in NFL teams. Howell sat on Carlyle’s board and earned compensation, raising major conflict-of-interest concerns from within the union. Can a union chief credibly fight for players while earning from a firm poised to benefit from the league? JJ Watt has already sensed something is not right.

Players aren’t staying quiet. Pressure is mounting from inside the NFLPA’s executive committee and key veteran voices across the league. It was about transparency, trust, and independence, and Howell, in the eyes of many, failed the moment. The NFLPA now faces a painful reckoning, how long can it keep a leader in place who stayed quiet in the face of proven collusion? And whose ties to league-approved investment firms cloud every move he makes?

The union once prided itself on fighting for fully guaranteed deals and true player empowerment. Now? Lloyd Howell’s leadership may now represent the very system the players were supposed to challenge.