Controversial Former Player Leads 'Two-Man Race' to Become Next NFLPA Boss

The NFL Players Association needs a new executive director following the abrupt resignation of Lloyd Howell Jr. Under immense scrutiny for his part in burying the findings of a collusion grievance filed by the PA, his role as a paid consultant for The Carlyle Group—a private equity firm approved to seek minority stakes in NFL franchises—and using union funds for multiple strip club outings, Howell Jr. called it quits late Thursday night.

Now, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, there are two candidates locked in what's shaping up to be a "two-man race" for the job: Don Davis, and former Cleveland Browns center—and controversial union figure—JC Tretter.

"There’s other names," Russini wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "But these are the lead candidates, per sources."

All 32 NFL player reps were on a call last night to discuss the next NFLPA executive director. It’s shaping up to be a two-man race: JC Tretter, who has majority support, and Don Davis. There’s other names, but these are the lead candidates, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) July 19, 2025

Tretter is no stranger to the controversy surrounding the NFLPA. He was reportedly involved in what has been dubbed a "top secret process" to elect Howell Jr. as executive director, and was at the center of the aforementioned collusion grievance filed by the PA. Comments he made disparaging Russell Wilson for not landing a fully guaranteed contract from the Denver Broncos in 2022 were used against the PA during the hearing. Tretter was president of the union from 2020 through '24, and currently serves as the association's chief strategy officer—a position created by Howell Jr. when Tretter was no longer eligible to serve as president.

Despite having "majority support" to be the next executive director, Tretter is facing some pushback. According to the Boston Globe's Ben Volin, the text message shown below is being circulated by NFL players, questioning Tretter and dubbing him the "common denominator in all of these scandals":

Source says this text message is being shared among NFL players tonight. A lot of displeasure with JC Tretter, the NFLPA’s chief strategy officer pic.twitter.com/VuEWbTK8vj
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) July 19, 2025

Don Davis, meanwhile, is also a former player, having played 12 seasons in the NFL and winning two Super Bowl titles with the Patriots. He then joined New England's staff in 2007 as an assistant strength and conditioning coach before becoming their team chaplain. Davis has been involved with the NFLPA since 2010 and currently serves as the Chief Player Officer.