NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell Resignation Could Be Tied to Strip Club Expenses: Report
Timing of NFLPA Executive Director could be tied to expense reports becoming public
The resignation of NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell caught many players and some within his union by surprise despite scrutiny about the vetting during his hiring process two years ago, but now there is another possible reason Howell quit Thursday evening.
ESPN was asking questions about his work-related expense reports, specifically documents that showed he charged the NFLPA for visits to strips clubs.
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2023/07/26: Executive Director NFL (National Football League) players Association Lloyd Howell speaks as striking members of Writers Guild of America picketing in front of CBS Broadcast Center on theme Sport Writers Picket. Executives from NHL Players Association, NFL Players Association, MLB Players Association joined and spoke during picket. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Investigator Gets Docs On Howell Outings
ESPN reported Friday afternoon that Howell resigned after an outside investigator hired by the union received documents this week showing Howell charged the union for the strip club visits, including a $738.82 car service that took him from the Fort Lauderdale International Airport to a well-known all-night all-nude strip club in Miami Gardens called Tootsies Cabaret.
The documents, ESPN reported, are union-approved expense reports and receipts, which ESPN began asking questions about hours before Howell resigned.
The NFLPA did not have an immediate comment on this matter.
One receipt, obtained by ESPN, shows Howell was picked up by a car service at the airport north of Miami on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, at 10:26 p.m. The car's first stop was the strip club.
Nearly eight hours later, at nearly 6 a.m., the car dropped off Howell at his condominium in Sunny Isles Beach, the receipt shows.
ATLANTA - JULY 18: Magic City Nightclub on July 18, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Howell Spent NFLPA Summit Time At Club
There was another strip club misadventure as well.
During this year's NFLPA Summit on Feb. 21, Howell accompanied two union employees to the Magic City club for an outing that included $2,426 in charges including cash withdrawals, ranging from $200 to $525, from a club ATM, according to ESPN.
Howell and his two NFLPA colleagues used two "VIP rooms."
The purpose of the outing, per the expense report was: "Player Engagement Event to support & grow our Union."
Howell was elected union president in 2024 and was paid $3.6 million last year. He resigned amid rumors he'd be replaced because of multiple issues tied to his initial hiring and his previous work at Booz Allen Hamilton, a Washington D.C. based defense contractor.
Howell Admits He Became A Distraction
"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," Howell said in a statement issued Thursday night by the NFLPA. "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."