The ongoing saga with the NFL Players Association has taken another turn, as the organization is also reportedly the subject of a federal investigation.
ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler reported on Friday that there is an ongoing criminal investigation involving the NFLPA regarding potential misuse of funds and self-enrichment of union officials. A senior union attorney sent a memo to NFLPA officials this week informing them of the federal probe.
The document states that the NFLPA is “now on notice of financial actions that may be criminal” and that the union faces “immediate threats requiring prompt actions,” according to ESPN.
While the document did not specify which individuals are part of the criminal investigation, the notice was sent days after executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. and director of strategy J.C. Tretter resigned from their positions with the NFLPA.
Howell was accused of misusing union funds and faced other troubling allegations. Tretter resigned because he felt like he was left to take the heat for the scandal that has been unfolding, though he has denied any wrongdoing.
The NFLPA is searching for an interim executive director. ESPN reports that the memo sent to union officials this week warns that potentially hiring an outside executive director might not be a wise move without knowing exactly how deep “the problems may be.”
Howell was the executive director of the NFLPA for two years.