Report: JC Tretter resigns from NFLPA amid rumored turmoil

JC Tretter has resigned from his role as the chief strategy officer for the NFL Players Association, according to a report from Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. The former NFLPA president opened up on the move in an interview with Jones, explaining that the increased scrutiny the NFLPA has faced was one of the main factors.

Tretter was potentially up to be consider as the next executive director. However, with his resignation, he has officially pulled his name out of the running on that as well.

“Over the last couple days, it has gotten very, very hard for my family. And that’s something I can’t deal with,” Tretter said. “So, the short bullet points are: I have no interest in being [executive director]. I have no interest in being considered; I’ve let the executive committee know that. I’m also going to leave the NFLPA in the coming days because I don’t have anything left to give the organization.

“I want to get my story out there, and I don’t want it to look like this was sour grapes or I didn’t get the job and I wanted the job. All I want to do is tell my story and then go be with my family.”

Tretter is not the only member of the NFLPA to resign recently, as executive director Lloyd Howell resigned late Thursday evening. Tretter, who was NFLPA president from 2020-24, was also a leader in the search that held to Howell being hired for the executive director position in 2023.

The controversy began when Pablo Torre uncovered a 61-page document showing an attempt at collusion from the league, which encouraged teams to reduce gurantees in veteran contracts. The NFL later won a grievance in that case because it was determined that teams did not act upon that advice.

But more drama would follow after it was reported that Howell expensed trips to two strip clubs to be reimbursed through the NFLPA. The revelation of that news is ultimately what led to his resignation.

There was some speculation that Tretter may have been looking to take over the executive director position himself and that he was setting things up in a way for him to do so. However, he claimed none of the accusations against him are true and he resigned simply for his own peace.

“I’m not resigning because what I’ve been accused of is true,” he told CBS. “…I’m not resigning in disgrace. I’m resigning because this has gone too far for me and my family, and I’ve sucked it up for six weeks. And I felt like I’ve been kind of left in the wind taking shots for the best of the organization. “…I got to the point this morning where I woke up and I realized, like, I am going to keep dying on this f—ing sword forever of, I’ll never, ever be able to do what’s best for me. And I will always pick what’s best for the organization. And in the end, what’s the organization done for me? Like, nothing.

“I’ve been a bullet shield for six weeks for them where everything that’s been controversial, it just all dumps down on me, and I’ve had nothing to f—ing do with it. And that’s when I was like, I’m done taking bullets for the [organization] on stuff I wasn’t a part of and did not do.”

Now the focus turns to finding a new executive director for the NFLPA. It’s unclear whether the organization will attempt to replace Tretter as cheif strategy officer, as the role did not exist before he took over in October.