NFL Players Have a Union Problem and It Starts at the Top
Former Detroit Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is now the president of the NFL Players Association… but let’s just say, the leadership vibes aren’t strong.
Since stepping into the role in March 2024, Reeves-Maybin has looked more like a background prop than a real leader. Word is, he’s been either kept in the dark or just not stepping up on key issues and it’s starting to hurt the players he’s supposed to protect.
Here’s where things get sketchy: The NFL and NFLPA reportedly worked together to hide the results of a collusion case yes, collusion between team owners. That means deals involving contracts and guaranteed money were potentially manipulated, and nobody told the players. The union waited six months to appeal the case. Six. Months. And it only happened after a podcast exposed everything.
And that’s not all.
The union’s Executive Director, Lloyd Howell Jr., was revealed to have a cozy little side gig with a private equity firm the Carlyle Group, which is trying to buy into NFL teams. Yeah, the guy in charge of fighting for the players was also working with people who want to cozy up to team owners. Conflict of interest? You think?
Investigative reporters like Pablo Torre and Mike Florio have been dragging this into the light. And the more you hear, the worse it gets: secret deals, delayed appeals, union silence all while players are out here thinking someone has their back.
Even Jim Quinn, the union’s former outside legal counsel, called it out straight: letting Howell stay in that role while working with Carlyle? “Outrageous.”
Sure, the union has done some good like collecting player surveys to improve conditions but none of that matters if the top brass is keeping quiet when it counts most.
Bottom line: Reeves-Maybin either didn’t know, didn’t care, or didn’t fight hard enough. And right now, NFL players are paying the price.
Ex-Lion Can’t Tackle NFLPA Problems—Players Aren’t Impressed
