Following the controversial tenure of Lloyd Howell as executive director of the NFL Players Association, the players’ union has been searching for a permanent replacement. Per a joint report from ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler, the NFLPA has narrowed its search down to three candidates: interim executive director David White, former union chief strategy officer JC Tretter, and commissioner of the American Conference Tim Pernetti. 
Howell resigned last summer after reports emerged that he had charged strip club visits to the union, worked part-time for a private equity firm seeking minority ownership in NFL franchises, and struck an agreement with the league not to disclose an arbitrator’s ruling indicating potential collusion between NFL owners against players. In the wake of Howell’s departure, White was elected to serve in the interim role of executive director after also being a finalist for the position when it was given to Howell.
White, formerly a CEO at an executive coaching/strategic firm and board chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, “has extensive labor experience” after having served as the leader of the SAG-AFTRA union from 2009-21. Tretter, the former Browns center and NFLPA player president for a five-year tenure, was also an option to serve as interim executive director, but he chose to withdraw his name from consideration after also resigning from his role with the union while denying any culpability in Howell’s wrongdoing. Tretter had been the leader of the search that led to the selection of Howell over White in 2023.
Pernetti is the only new name in the discussion. After leadership roles with Major League Soccer and the sports and entertainment company Endeavor, Pernetti served as the president of Florida’s athletic powerhouse high school IMG Academy. He was named the American Conference’s commissioner in June 2024. Other known candidates that didn’t make it to the final stage of the search process are former NFL cornerback and NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth, former NFL quarterback and player representative Matt Schaub, and former NFL center Jeff Saturday.
According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, Tretter is “believed to have strong support among the players on the NFLPA’s ruling executive committee for the executive director job.” That won’t do him much good, though, as the decision will be made by a vote between the union’s 32 player representatives at the annual NFLPA meeting in San Diego next month.
Maske goes on to say that the player rep consensus may differ from the ruling executive committee, since Tretter is seen as a polarizing figure. White has typically been viewed more favorably, earning respect for having stabilized things in the wake of Howell’s departure, while Pernetti is not as well known to the players. Time will tell how things shake out as the league’s union moves closer and closer to establishing new leadership.
I’m shocked they would even consider Tretter after he resigned from the appearance of improper benefits from Howell and single handedly costing the union a grievance when he suggested RB fake injuries. “I’m not resigning because I’m guilty but because of the stress on my family” I guess he stopped caring about his family.
David White is even worse after we learned about him threatening film makers working with child abuse victims, from speaking up in a documentary. I know NFL players aren’t known for being the brightest but even they have had to read about the accusations against these two guys. I have no previous knowledge of Pernetti but I doubt he can be worse than the other two candidates.