Scandal, secrecy and JC Tretter: This is what the NFLPA came up with? | Opinion
The last time NFL players used a secret process to pick a union leader, it led to controversy and resignations. What should we expect this time?
On paper, JC Tretter’s election this week as executive director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has some promise. A former lineman, Tretter spent nine years in NFL trenches. Add his union experience and Ivy League credentials, and seemingly he is well-equipped with the book smarts, street smarts and political chops to help in the new gig.
Just don’t call it something new and fresh. Tretter comes with much baggage from his previous NFLPA duty , which included having fingerprints all over the secret process that resulted in the election of Lloyd Howell in 2023. And remember, before Tretter resigned as the NFLPA’s chief strategy officer in July 2025 – following Howell, who resigned that month amid scandal – he maintained that he had “no interest” in the union’s top job.
“I’m also going to leave the NFLPA in the coming days because I don’t have anything left to give to the organization,” Tretter told CBS Sports in July of 2025. Talk about a clip-and-save quote. More: JC Tretter resigned from the NFLPA during a scandal.
Now, he'll lead the organization. Look at him now. Tretter, 35, has come back and indeed assumed the top job.
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