Exclusive: The NFL Players' Union, the Silenced Top Cop and the Cabal of "Strip-Club Dreams"

Summary

Podcast Summary: Pablo Torre Finds Out

Episode: Exclusive: The NFL Players' Union, the Silenced Top Cop and the Cabal of "Strip-Club Dreams"
Date: March 16, 2026
Host: Pablo Torre, The Athletic
Featured Guest: Craig Jones, former lead security officer at the NFLPA

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Brief Overview

This “talkumentary” episode takes listeners deep inside the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) amid an unprecedented leadership scandal, federal investigations, and alleged cover-ups. Host Pablo Torre sits down with Craig Jones, the recently ousted head of NFLPA security, exploring corruption, retaliation, the flawed executive director selection process, and what it means for the future of player power in the NFL. The conversation is equal parts whistleblower exposé, sports labor drama, and moving personal testimony.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Introducing Craig Jones and the NFLPA’s Invisible Power

• Craig Jones’ Background (02:48–04:03)
  • 17-year career at the NFLPA, two decades post-Gene Upshaw, as lead security officer.
  • Describes the “invisible” modern HQ in DC—symbolic of how fans overlook the union’s true role.
• What it Means to be the “Conscience” of the Union (05:08–07:12)
  • Raised during the civil rights era to speak truth for the powerless.
  • "I was protecting people, I don’t get do-overs. So I have to be on point every day." (Craig Jones, 06:37)
• Work Culture Shift Under New Regime (07:25–08:14)
  • Abrupt change from a culture of candor to one of retaliation once Lloyd Howell takes over.
  • "We will punish you for speaking the truth." (Craig Jones, 07:33)

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2. The Scandal: Strip Clubs, Collusion, and Cover-ups

• NFLPA Assets and Corruption (11:19–13:41)
  • $1.3 billion in assets and seven-figure salaries for the executive director.
  • Lloyd Howell resigns in disgrace over strip club expense reports; his regime under federal investigation.
  • "They want to keep the strip club dreams going, they want to keep the party going... at the expense of the players." (Craig Jones, 13:13)
• Burying the "Holy Grail" Collusion Ruling (13:41–18:04)
  • Confirmation that the NFL Management Council encouraged collusion on player contracts.
  • The union leadership (Howell and JC Tretter) conspired to keep this ruling hidden.
• Craig’s Retaliatory Firing (16:56–18:32)
  • Fired in February 2026 for sending three emails questioning leadership.
  • "I was silenced by terminating me." (Craig Jones, 18:32)
  • Now considering a wrongful termination lawsuit.

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3. “Sinister Evolution”: How Secrecy Corroded the Union

• Manipulated Election Processes & Lack of Transparency (19:39–24:42)
  • JC Tretter engineered a constitutional amendment: leadership finalists hidden from voters until election day.
  • Election of Howell (never in unions/sports), handpicked over union veteran David White without proper vetting.
  • "Who created all of this? Who brought in Lloyd Howell?" (Craig Jones, 20:52)
• Blind Eyes to Conflicts of Interest (26:06–28:05)
  • Howell’s part-time consulting for the Carlyle Group—on NFL’s list of potential team owners, a huge conflict for a labor leader.
  • Howell quote: “Who doesn't want to see more football? Myself included.” (27:23)
• Insularity, Distance, and Surveillance (28:05–37:52)
  • Howell and crew literally avoided security and other staff, functioning as a “cabal” keeping secrets (29:36–37:52).
  • “They had this gangster swagger… doing what we want to do.” (Craig Jones, 37:34)

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4. Internal Resistance and Player Apathy

• The Role of Matt Curtin & Ongoing Allegations (37:52–40:07)
  • Curtin, longtime Howell ally, achieves new power; staffers file formal complaints about his conduct.
  • Employees fear retaliation for whistleblowing.
• Leadership’s Pattern: Suppress, Retaliate, Restructure (44:02–47:28)
  • Attorney Heather McPhee terminated for raising allegations of self-dealing tied to NIL business One Team Partners; she files federal suit.
  • Mass buyouts to purge “dissenters.”
  • “I cried for some people because they were dear to me. ... They had a plan that they executed for a power grab and their avarice.” (Craig Jones, 47:10)
• Strategic Title Games & Opaque Promotions (47:28–48:34)
  • After buyouts, a new title: “Chief Strategy Officer”—awarded to JC Tretter by Howell.
  • Perpetuation of the same faces, same culture of secrecy and self-interest.

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5. The Perpetual “Okie Doke”: How Players Are Kept in the Dark

• The Problem with Player Elections and Vetting (51:01–54:55)
  • Rigged or manipulated presidential elections, e.g. Jalen Reeves Mabin’s election aided by JC Tretter’s negative campaigning against reformer Calvin Beachum (58:00).
  • Players’ executive director election currently down to: Tim Pernetti (underdog), JC Tretter (architect of the last regime), and David White (tainted by own Hollywood scandal).
  • “They are maintaining the Okie doke to continue to try to fulfill their greed and avarice.” (Craig Jones, 61:55)
• Player Apathy Enables Corruption (59:52–62:09)
  • Players too consumed by the present tense—the “myopia”—to focus on long-term or institutional harm.
  • “A lot of good, decent players are flim-flammed and they don’t even know it till it’s too late.” (Craig Jones, 61:22)

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6. A Whistleblower’s Perspective: Doing the Right Thing

• The Head of Security as Unsung Hero (62:09–63:36)
  • Rare insight from the security head; comparison to Frank Wills of Watergate fame.
  • “For me, that’s all it’s been: just me doing what I was duty bound to do—protect and serve…” (Craig Jones, 62:45)
• Personal Fallout and Enduring Hope (63:36–66:40)
  • Jones shares the moving goodbye letter sent to colleagues.
  • “Muhammad Ali once told me, the deeper the pressure, the greater the poise. You will always be cherished. I love you…” (Craig Jones, 64:56)
  • Emotional close—Jones in tears over loss and betrayal but urging staff to keep fighting for the players.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being the Union’s “Conscience”
  “That means the world to me. My parents would always say when it’s time for you to stand up for what is right, not only for yourself, but more importantly for other people, raise your hand and do so.”
  —Craig Jones (06:10)

• On the Culture Shift
  “When the new regime came in, they weren’t interested in what we knew. ... At best, it is scandalous.”
  —Craig Jones (07:33) (13:05)

• On Covering Up Collusion
  “There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL clubs to reduce guarantees and veterans contracts…”
  —Pablo Torre quoting arbitration (13:41)

• On Howell & Tretter’s Relationship
  “There would have been no Lloyd Howell if there was no JC Tretter. There would be no JC Tretter if there was no Lloyd Howell.”
  —Craig Jones (32:54)

• On Ethics and Avarice
  “They want to keep the party going. They want to maintain the niceties they were affording to themselves at the expense of the players.”
  —Craig Jones (13:13)

• On Player Apathy
  “A lot of good, decent players are flim-flammed and they don’t even know it till it’s too late.”
  —Craig Jones (61:22)

• On the Unsung Role of Security
  “My patron saint of security was Frank Wills, the gentleman who discovered the Watergate break-in. ... For me, that’s all it’s been—just me doing what I was duty bound to do…”
  —Craig Jones (62:45)

• Farewell to Colleagues
  “Muhammad Ali once told me, the deeper the pressure, the greater the poise. You will always be cherished. I love you…”
  —Craig Jones, reading from his goodbye email (64:56)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:48–04:03 — Craig Jones introduced & background at NFLPA
• 11:19–13:41 — Outline of the union’s scandal, Howell’s resignation
• 13:41–18:32 — The buried collusion ruling & Jones’ resistance
• 19:39–24:42 — How board members were kept in the dark, rigged election process
• 26:06–28:05 — Howell’s conflicts of interest
• 44:02–47:28 — Mass staff buyouts & retaliation
• 51:01–54:55 — Finalist profiles, ongoing lack of vetting, interconnectedness of scandals
• 59:52–62:09 — Player apathy and how it enables corruption
• 63:36–66:40 — Emotional sign-off and reading of Jones’ farewell letter

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Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode blends investigative rigor and personal storytelling. Torre serves as a dogged reporter—empathetic, relentless—with Jones embodying quiet integrity, moral clarity, and heartbreak over the institution’s corrosion. The language is direct, emotional, sometimes elegiac, and always focused on the human cost behind scandals and power games, culminating in a call to integrity for all who serve NFL players.

For listeners, the episode reveals the hidden machinery, personalities, and battles that define the fate of labor power in America’s top sport. It is essential listening for NFL fans, player advocates, and anyone interested in how institutions are warped—or redeemed—from within.

Transcript

[Pablo Torre]

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[Craig Jones]

Tell J.C. treader to spend his 30 pieces of silver wisely.

[Pablo Torre]

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[Pablo Torre]

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[Craig Jones]

I am 71 years old.

[Pablo Torre]

Your job, Craig, your job title at the union was what? And how long did you have that title?

[Craig Jones]

I was the lead security officer. I was the special police officer. And I was hired at first in October of 08, and then after two years being there as a contractual employee, the esteemed Timothy Christine, who was my security director, brought me on in 2010 to work as the lead security officer for the union. As an employee. I got there two months after Gene Upshaw had passed away. And so everybody was telling me what his methodology was, and that was to truly, truly care and to speak plainly to the powers that needed to be spoken to so they can care as well. And then when the intellectually pugilistic demora Smith came on, then that continued to elevate the game on how we were every day to come in with the very best of ourselves.

[Pablo Torre]

So for people who have never visited the NFLPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. where you worked for almost two decades, what does it look like? Can you paint the picture for us of the building?

[Craig Jones]

Well, the building I'm in is in what they call the Golden Triangle, Washington, D.C. which is the business area. Washington, D.C. k Street, Connecticut Avenue. It's a modern building, but it doesn't bring any attention to itself because of the way that it was architecturally drawn. The simplicity of all of the buildings on that street is what brings about the elegance. One of the last weeks I was working there, there was a security guard having a problem across the street with. And I went across the street and asked him, was everything okay that he needed any assistance. And he saw my work badge. He said, the nflpa? He said, what is that? I said, that's who I work for. He said, the nflpa? I said, yeah, it's right across the street in that building right there. And he said, I'd be damned. I've been here for eight years, and I never knew what was going on at that building.

[Pablo Torre]

You're describing this building literally, like the person who swore to protect it with his life. And when you say, you know, the nflpa, like, someone wouldn't even know that it was there. I mean, there's a larger metaphor there, I think, for how sports fans understand the union, which is to say they know what's kind of there somewhere. But it's rare that they really get an inside view of, like, what happens here. Why does this matter? Why should I care? I am a fan of the most popular sport In America, the National Football League. I love football, but now that I've done so much reporting on it, it's crazy how much less we think about how important and fraught the union itself is. And yet your response is pride. The term that multiple former NFL players and NFL Players association union leaders have used to describe you in my previous reporting is that you're the conscience of the nflpa. What does that mean to you?

[Craig Jones]

That means the world to me. Because my parents, we grew up during the civil rights era, and my parents would always say to myself and my six sisters, when it's time for you to stand up for what is right, not only for yourself, but most importantly, for other people, raise your hand and do so. And because I was protecting people, I don't get do overs. So I have to be on point every day. There was a famous sports photographer by the name of Kazmichi who used to be at all of the boxing matches. And he once told me that the reason why your pictures seem to be too late or too early is because you gotta know when the proper moment is. And in security work and protecting people, you have to know the moment before the actuality if someone's trying to harm people. And so I found that people began to say, you know this Mr. Jones, he's something else.

[Pablo Torre]

You're more comfortable than I imagined. Given how many people are afraid, Craig, to do this, which is to sit down talking to a microphone about the things you saw at the nflpa.

[Craig Jones]

I think the reason why so many people are afraid is because there were people who had livelihoods and they knew that the new regime that came in under Lloyd Howe was more we will punish you for you speaking the truth. Yes, when the new regime came in, they weren't interested in what we knew. They were only interested in what they wanted to perpetrate.

[Pablo Torre]

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[Pablo Torre]

One of the richest labor unions in America is up for grabs right now with total assets, According to the NFLPA's latest federal filing of more than $1.3

[Craig Jones]

billion

[Pablo Torre]

and oversight of that fortune belongs to the union's executive director. One of the high stakes jobs in all of sports. You get a seven figure salary to serve as the direct counterpoint to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sitting in labor negotiations for the most popular cultural institutions institution in America. But the last executive director the union elected, you may recall, in 2023, was Lloyd Howell. Lloyd Howell resigned amid a corruption scandal. As reported on this show last July, the NFL Players Association Executive director Lloyd Howell resigned late Thursday, ending his two year tenure as the leader of the players union. It has come out now of all the things that have been coming out about him, which caused his haste resignation that he had been sending in expense reports for trips to the strip club, he submitted a statement. It's clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFL PA advances every day. But it wasn't just Lloyd Howell who had to resign, of course. His top lieutenants, former Browns lineman JC Tretter, stepped down just three days after that. And now with the election of the union's next executive director underway officially as we speak, the same regime responsible for that scandal last summer is on the cusp of power again.

[Craig Jones]

It at best is scandalous. They want to reinstate people in positions of power and governance who have already proven time and time again that they lack ethics. I immediately said to myself, they want to keep the strip club dreams going, they want to keep the party going. They want to maintain the niceties that they were affording to themselves at the expense of the players.

[Pablo Torre]

And the players, it is worth remembering here, were kept in the dark by Lloyd Howell and J.C. tretter when it came to the very thing that kicked off this entire saga on this show last June, which is when we published what one union source called the holy grail of NFL documents, a 61 page collusion ruling that had been buried in covered up as part of a secret confidentiality agreement between leadership at the NFL and the NFLPA. Because back in January of 2025 it turned out an arbiter had delivered a partial victory in favor of the union that concluded that the NFL had encouraged teams to collude against their players. Quote. There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL clubs to reduce guarantees and veterans contracts at the March 2022 annual owners meeting, end quote. The arbiter, a retired federal judge, did not find damages, but he included private texts and emails and closed door testimony from eight billionaire owners plus NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on top of a whole roster of league and union executives, including J.C. tretter. It was this all you can eat buffet of truly embarrassing discovery around the free agency of star quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson, none of whom were ultimately offered fully guaranteed contracts, even though Cleveland had just given one to DeShawn Watson. As my special guest, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, helped relay, I need you to play the role of Chargers owner Dean Spanos and I'll be Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill, if you please. Congratulations on signing Murray. Thanks Dino. These QB deals are expensive, but we limited the fully guaranteed money and have some pretty good language. Thankfully we have a QB that's worth paying. Your deal helps us for our quarterback next year. I think many teams will be happy with it once they have a chance to review. Cleveland really screwed things up, but I was resolved to keep the guaranteed relatively quote low unquote. And yet the most shocking part wasn't that the NFL wanted to bury all of these communications. It's that Roger Goodell found a cover up partner in the regime of Lloyd Howell, whose strip club receipts would prove relevant to a larger ongoing federal investigation, and J.C. treader, the ex player president who engineered Howell's election only to try and wash his hands of it. Not least, I am told, because JC Treader now is back and somehow favored to secure the job he's been targeting this entire time, Executive Director of the nflpa. But one employee who refused in writing to be complicit with any of this was the union's lead security officer, Mr. Craig Jones.

[Craig Jones]

My employment with the NFLPA ended. I call it a termination and retaliation. On February 13, 2026 I was told that the reasons were for cause and in my work contract they have calls defined as things that an individual would do that would violate policy and procedure in the workplace. And the causes were three emails. But in the 17 years that I was there, all of my reviews as an employee were stellar. There was constant ascension. I was giving more and more responsibility as I grew. There was never a time that my work ethic was ever questioned the way that it was questioned in the last month of my employ there. That's why I'm looking into a lawsuit for wrongful termination.

[Pablo Torre]

Well, I should say, as you contemplate your own legal recourse, that the emails that were problematic in the eyes of this regime are some of my favorite pieces of sports writing in a very long time. And I want to walk through some of them with you here today because they are examples of someone on record, before it was safe, before it was legally advisable, even saying what as per their job description they saw.

[Craig Jones]

It all came about because I questioned leadership on how some things were evolving that seemed to be sinister and a lot of individuals in positions of power took issue with that and they silenced me by terminating me.

[Pablo Torre]

It's astonishing for me to have done some amount of reporting to get to know the power dynamics at the union and then to wake up almost a year later and see that in some ways, despite various resignations which we'll describe, some things are exactly the same, if not worse. And so the elections that are happening out in San Diego, this is the election of the next permanent executive Director, a job that's only been held by a handful of people throughout the history of sports. It's a job that I just got to remind people opened up after weeks and weeks of our reporting around collusion, cover ups and conflict of interest allegations. And also this particular all staff email. Mr. Jones, I wonder if you could read this as I sit here in front of you.

[Craig Jones]

The email states, and what of JC Treader? He is the progenitor of this whole tawdry episode of posers, 30 pieces of silver, player leadership, mankay and avarice. What of him? God bless the NFLPA so it may return to its hallowed annals and for

[Pablo Torre]

the non English majors among us. How would you translate that? Maybe in the way that you learned growing up?

[Craig Jones]

The way that I would translate it is that my mother used to tell us all of the time, don't be touching nobody else's stuff. And J.C. treta and Jalen Reese Mabin,

[Pablo Torre]

the president of the NFL, the president,

[Craig Jones]

the player president and a host of others thought that they were going to take advantage of the players we serve and as we used to say on the street, create an okie doke where others will fall for something that wasn't real. And so what of him? Who created all of this? Who bought in Lloyd Howe?

[Pablo Torre]

Because the whole way that this came about, of course was done in secret.

[Craig Jones]

That's correct.

[Pablo Torre]

J.C. tretter had engineered via a constitutional amendment very quietly, that actually the player voters on the board of representatives who choose the executive director, they don't need to know even who the finalists are until the day they show up to vote. There used to be a rule via the Constitution that you needed 30 days because of course vetting would be useful if you're a voter. Knowing who the candidates are would be useful if you're a voter in 2023. Just for people who don't remember. The two finalists were Lloyd Howell, the former CFO of Booz Allen, who had never had a job in the world of unions or sports. And the second finalist was David White.

[Craig Jones]

That's correct.

[Pablo Torre]

Who was the former head of SAG aftra, which was the Actors Guild out in Hollywood, who has his own dossier that I want to get to. But these are two, quote unquote, pro business executives. And the first thing I remember about JC Tretter and his reaction to the board of Representatives electing Lloyd Howell was that he was thrilled. And this was even though the board, of course, had done zero vetting prior, as per JC Treader's constitutional amendment. And I dare say that my source on this is pretty good because it happens to be J.C. treader himself.

[J.C. Tretter]

I know some people say the board needs to vet and qualify. That's not the board's job. The board's job is to interview and pick the best. Our job was to vet and qualify as an executive committee because we were never going to have 570 hours to give to the board for them to have time to vet and qualify. That's why we put all the time in and all the work. And then in the end, the board picked an awesome new edition. And I think the, the vibes of that room when the announcement came down were, were unmatched. It really felt like you wanna. You won a football game. It felt like you were back in the locker room. The celebration, it was just.

[Pablo Torre]

It was really awesome.

[Craig Jones]

Okay.

[Pablo Torre]

And then I heard about the story of Richard Sherman, who was a former union official, of course, hall of Fame cornerback. And after three rounds of doing interviews, what I was told was that Richard Sherman realized that Lloyd Howell was being pushed through this process step by step by JC Trer. And according to a source familiar with Richard Sherman's thinking, quote, lloyd Howell was treated like a project boyfriend. We can fix him. End quote. Meaning that there was some palpable desire to make sure that Lloyd Howell got into the. Into the room where he would actually be a finalist. And when you look back now at the avalanche of things that apparently did not dissuade J.C. treader and the executive committee from making Lloyd Howell a finalist for this job and ultimately, quote, an awesome, awesome new ed, as you just said in that, in that clip, I mean, where do you start? Do you start with the fact that he had recently resigned as the CFO of Booz Allen, where a whistleblower inside that company identified Howell and as a key character in what one federal prosecutor would call, quote, One of the largest procurement fraud settlements in history. $377 million for overbilling the U.S. government. Hundreds of millions of dollars. Do you mention the fact that Lloyd Howell had also settled a sexual discrimination and retaliation suit in 2015 that was filed by a subordinate at Booz Allen? I mean, when people in the building learned of this, Craig, just those two data points alone, what was the reaction? I mean, what level of shock was there that this man also had this baggage?

[Craig Jones]

Myself and many, many of the good people there were, well, how did this happen if they had such a line by line formula that was going to bring to the union the very best in the choices? And how did we end up with this guy? And when he got there, it became even more apparent. How did we end up with this guy? Because he and everybody consorting with him were distanced. They were aloof. You can tell that they were duplicitous and that they really didn't have the union's best interest at hand at all. It became difficult for a lot of us because we knew that this just is going to taint the organization. And it was infuriating because, Mr. Torre, I've seen players destitute. I've seen players psychologically compromised. And the players that I worried the most about were the ones who were embittered because they felt that the game had just left them behind. These characters who are aspiring to be back in a place of power in the union is because they see that we can take advantage of those who need us the most.

[Pablo Torre]

Look, part of the problem with Lloyd Howell was also just the flagrant conflict of interest in his business background. You know, one thing that was revealed was that he was also working this part time consulting job for the Carlyle Group. And the Carlyle Group is a private equity firm that happened to be on the NFL's approved list of firms that could buy stakes in NFL franchises. And this kind of conflict of interest, you're running the union. Your arch nemesis, your adversary that you're trying to counterbalance is the league. And the league has this list of approved buyers, basically approved firms that they can be in business with. It made it insane to contemplate. How did Lloyd Howell also have this side job working with management while he's representing labor?

[Craig Jones]

I am an operating executive at Carlisle Group. I do understand enough to be dangerous when it comes to private equity is intriguing.

[Pablo Torre]

But is intriguing that today's professional football

[Craig Jones]

player has more of an equity mindset. They want to put their money to work. Right.

[Pablo Torre]

And so in order to do that. Here is a platform. Why can't they participate?

[Craig Jones]

And it could be for conflict of interest reasons, it could be all sorts of reasons. But in my experience, you can work through that, right? You can set up the right safeguards.

[Pablo Torre]

And then you get to this quote that he gave to the Athletic. This was July of 2024. And he says this about the NFL's desires to expand to an 18 game season, which is a massive pivot point in any CBA collective bargaining negotiation, as is the one that's coming up. And Lloyd says, quote, it sounds attractive. Who doesn't want to see more football? Myself included, end quote. About the very thing that he's supposed to fight tooth and nail to prevent. And just that the idea of like, it's not merely the tawdry, it's also the tactical. What's going on here? Who's he working for?

[Craig Jones]

There was an arrogance that he and his cabal carried. I keep mentioning Tim Christine. Tim Christine would do these wonderful backgrounds for the organization. And they never bought Lloyd Howe to him. They kept him away from the security department. And when Lloyd Howe was finally the executive director, he would literally stay away from the security department. He would come and park his car in the garage. He would walk back outside of the garage, go down the street to Starbucks, come back in the garage, get on the elevator and go straight up to his floor because he didn't want to come into the lobby and interface with security. They were all like that. Everybody that was involved with Lloyd Howe, JC Tretor creating this miasma of mess. They would keep their distance away from everybody. And Mr. Christine used to say to me all of the time, I wonder why they stay away from me so much. And I said, it's because they've got secrets and they know that you know how to best find them. And they protected themselves with distance and indifference.

[Pablo Torre]

I need to clarify that when you're describing the literal path that Lloyd Howell used to take up to his office, you are the person who was professionally there to make sure you're aware of where everyone is. You're watching this on.

[Craig Jones]

On camera, on camera in the main lobby, watching on camera.

[Pablo Torre]

And when you mention a background check and the notion of due diligence on who are these people that we're letting in, not just to our building, but inner sanctum such that they have control over what is, you know, at last check a war chest touching a billion dollars, this question is central to the story. What did you know and when did you know it? If you're JC Treader if you're Lloyd Howell, if you're the people who empowered them, when Lloyd resigns and then JC follows soon thereafter. And it is worth pointing out that till the end, JC Treader was defending himself. You know, he was trying to actually separate himself from Lloyd Howell, that he would tell anybody who would listen. It seems he didn't really want Lloyd Howell. He wanted David White. And from the outside. Something else that we discovered on this show was that there was, for the record here, another secret arbitration ruling. The first one was the collusion suit. This one was From February of 2025, the month after the collusion suit ruling was passed down by that arbiter. And this suit was caused directly by J.C. treader, who had gone on a podcast to encourage players, running backs in particular, to fake injuries and gain leverage over their teams issues.

[J.C. Tretter]

Now, I don't think anybody would ever say they were fake injuries, but we've seen players who didn't want to be where they currently are have injuries that made them unable to practice and play. But you're not able to get fined and you're not able to be punished for not reporting. So there are issues like that. I don't think, I don't think I'm allowed to ever recommend that, but at least publicly. But I think each player needs to find a way to build up leverage to try to get a fair deal.

[Pablo Torre]

And that's the NFL tellingly won this ruling, but even more tellingly never announced that they want it. And again, this is the same timeline where the NFL and the NFLPA, under the leadership of Lloyd Howell and J.C. treader, agreed to bury what was referred to as the holy Grail of arbitration rulings in January of 25, the collusion suit. And yet there is JC Treader on the Dan Patrick show in July now of that year of 2025 after resigning to argue for his own innocence and even ignorance.

[J.C. Tretter]

The idea that I buried the collusion grievance, I've never seen the collusion grievance. The collusion. I don't have access to the collusion grievance. I wasn't in any discussions about the collusion grievance. Just not part of my job. I know we lost the collusion grievance in January. That, that I knew that I didn't know of any agreements or what was happening with that because it's not part of my department. We once it leaked a few weeks ago, I started learning more. I was on the board call and the EC call when it was explained what had happened over the Last six months to the players. So I know more now. But at that point, I knew nothing. I wasn't involved in the discussions.

[Pablo Torre]

Is there any chance, in your view, that J.C. treader and Lloyd Howell were not in lockstep about the collusion suit?

[Craig Jones]

Well, my instinct is, is that they were in lockstep. There would have been no Lloyd how if There was no J.C. treader. There would be no J.C. treader if there was no Lloyd Howe and they all made a deal with the devil in themselves and perpetuated each other's desires. Whatever you want, I can make happen for you. Whatever you want, I can make happen for you.

[Pablo Torre]

What J.C. treader wanted, according to four sources that I've spoken to now, dating back to last year, was ultimately to become the executive director himself of the nflpa. That level of ambition, which I thought was beyond dispute, but according to J.C. treader in his exit interview with CBS Sports, was definitely not what he wanted. He did say, quote, I have no interest in being executive director. I have no interest in being considered. I 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.

[Craig Jones]

I.

[Pablo Torre]

All I want to do is tell my story and then go be with my family. End quote. How palpable was the ambition in your view of JC Tretter, to be ultimately, again, one of those precious few people to have held that job?

[Craig Jones]

I think that it was apparent by the way that Lloyd Howe always perpetuated J.C. tretter. There was this constant dialogue that was going on that he's my guy. We work in unison with each other, we feed off of each other. Then when we go into negotiations, when we go into different elements of the business of football, where people have to be on the same thought process, we got it.

[Pablo Torre]

Well, Lloyd Howell also, I was told, still maintaining a residence in Miami, that J.C. treader. And you tell me if I'm wrong, because you're the guy who saw the cameras. JC Tretter was very present in the building and Lloyd Howell was not there nearly as much.

[Craig Jones]

That's correct.

[Pablo Torre]

And so the reason I ask is because if JC Treader is the guy who is the former NFL player with the resume of being. I was the player president, I was the former Cleveland Browns lineman. And Lloyd Howell is the guy from the world of business who has no connection to anything. J.C. treader, if nothing else, is the guy that I was told Lloyd Howell leaned on to assess. How do we strategize around matters of football?

[Craig Jones]

That is correct. J.C. tRETTER. For the rest of us, he was the window dresser. Because players are comfortable when they see other players in positions of leadership. And that's how Lloyd Howe would push JC out there, while he would go wherever he would go in the course of a week or two, the Lloyd Howe cabal of J.C. treader. Anamaka Gupta, Matt Curtin, Lloyd Howe, they were always in lockstep with each other.

[Pablo Torre]

Anamika Gupta, the chief of staff to the executive director who still remains at the union. Matt Curdin, the president of Players, Inc. Which is again, the business wing of the union. He has that job and has, it seems, achieved ever more power at the union as well as we sit here today.

[Craig Jones]

They operated with this opaqueness about them where you could see them, but you couldn't see them. And they were always together when they were in the building. They pretty much had the same habits. They would speak but not speak.

[Pablo Torre]

What does speak but not speak mean?

[Craig Jones]

We used to watch everybody come in on the bottom level, on the cameras. And when people would come into the bottom level, waiting for the elevators, you would see people interacting with each other. J.C. treader would have his head down. Lloyd would be looking somewhere else. Anomica had certain times of the day that she came in when nobody else was coming into the building. And they all kept this distance about them all. But whenever we would do patrols on each floor, we would patrol the eighth floor on the executive floor. And we would see these individuals together with each other, but not on a lot of occasions with other people. They minded their business because their business they didn't want anybody else to be in. They had decided amongst themselves that we've got everything so well in place the way we want it, that we can just have that gangster swagger and just kind of go about our daily day doing what we want to do.

[Pablo Torre]

And this is where I should just observe that Matt Curtin, the aforementioned president of NFL Players, Inc. Has become an increasingly significant character in the backstage mess of the nflpa. Because in JC Tretter's embittered CBS exit interview last summer, it's worth noting Tretter had named Curtin to his short list of, quote, tremendously good people whom players could still, quote, put their faith in. But Matt Curtin arrived at the union in March of 2024 because he was handpicked by Lloyd Howell on account of a relationship they'd built over decades working in finance. And upon arrival, in fact, Howell had given Curtin the seat right next to him on the board of One Team Partners, the for profit licensing company co founded by the nflpa, which has since put the union under FBI investigation. That mess leading to the recent termination of another employee who dared to allege the corruption of union leadership, longtime associate general counsel Heather McPhee. We'll get to that in a bit. But less than two weeks ago, in addition to all that stuff, a letter was sent to NFLPA lawyers by anonymous NFLPA staffers which said, in part, J.C. tretter is widely anticipated to be selected as the next executive director of the nflpa. And that also, quote, multiple written and verbal complaints have been filed with NFLPA Human Resources against Matt Curtin. End quote. The letter goes on to express these anonymous employees fear of possible retaliation and calls for an independent external investigation so those complaints can be resolved. Now, for the record, a union spokesperson told PTFO about this letter, quote, we have received an anonymous email that claims to represent current and former staffers includes several unspecified allegations. We are evaluating them and will take appropriate steps as warranted. We have no further comment at this time. End quote. Which brings us back to Craig Jones.

[Craig Jones]

There was always this notion about them that they had people in place that was gonna run interference for them. You don't have to worry about it. And if somebody like Mr. Jones or Heather McPhee or anybody else raises a ruckus, we will silence them in the way that we know how. And I just wouldn't capitulate to impunity. And there were so many wonderful employees also who said, no, we're not going to wrap ourselves up in the stent of all of this mess that they were creating. And our way to mitigate the madness is staying true to the game, staying true to the players. Keep producing the kind of good work that we've been doing. And through all of that sacrifice that we've always made, that's going to make more apparent that these individuals that are in seats of power need not be there.

[Pablo Torre]

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[Pablo Torre]

You mentioned Heather McPhee. Heather McPhee is the now former longtime attorney for the NFLPA who repeatedly urged the union to investigate alleged self dealing by NFLPA executives, including Lloyd Howell as part of One Team Partners, which is the NFL's associated NIL business, a very strong business, which also remains for those reasons that Heather was alleging under federal investigation. And Heather McPhee has since sued the NFLPA in federal court alleging, quote, an unlawful and shameful conspiracy to intimidate and obstruct her as a DOJ witness, a federal witness from cooperating with that federal investigation into union business. And so what's happening, by the way, as the existing, the pre. Existing staff is now meeting the new regime, the new bosses, There are buyouts being offered for those who dare to stick around. Union employees with more than seven years of service are offered buyouts to leave. And that's about half of the 120 person staff, I was told.

[Craig Jones]

That's correct.

[Pablo Torre]

There's a house cleaning that's being attempted simultaneous to a new approach to being, quote, unquote, a pro business union. And how conspicuous was, was that attempt as you were talking to your colleagues and seeing the building react to such offers?

[Craig Jones]

Well, it was obvious because at the super bowl was in New Orleans, where Lloyd was executive director.

[Pablo Torre]

Yeah.

[Craig Jones]

And he was talking about how there needed to be some upgrades in staff because with this brave new world of data analytics and all of these new concepts that they were bringing into the game of football, there needed to be staffing changes with people who had the expertise to bring in these new analytical models. We need to freshen the place up, get new ways of thinking in here, different approaches to better serve the players. Here are these buyouts that we want people to consider. Let us know what you think. And there were a lot of people who were appalled, as rightfully as they should have been, who just simply said, you know what? I'm not putting up with this madness. It's clear that there's something sinister about all this. I'm moving on. There were some people who wanted to stay because they loved the organization. I sent Lloyd Howe and all staff telling him that I wasn't going to accept it, that the place was benevolent to me and that all of this seems shady. And I said at the end of that email, tell JC Tretter to spend his 30 pieces of silver wisely. Well, the powers that be never said anything. They never said anything at all. The buyouts and things came, people left. I collected everybody's keys. It was sad. I cried for some people because they were dear to me. They had a plan that they had executed and they wanted it to be done in the best possible way so they can succeed at their power grab. And Their avarice.

[Pablo Torre]

I'm thinking of you being the guy who collects the keys.

[Craig Jones]

Yeah.

[Pablo Torre]

Which is a hell of a part of the job, is that you're also saying goodbye to the people who didn't want to, for obvious reasons, in retrospect, didn't want to bother trying to save a regime or work with a regime. However they saw it, that was doing this to how you guys had been operating. But the question of strategy, what is the strategy here? How is the union working? It does remind me that there were buyouts being offered and taken and then there was a new title that was created and that was Chief Strategy Officer Checkmate.

[Craig Jones]

Sir. You couldn't have put that any clearer. They had all of these buyouts, they had all of this, well, we don't need this and we don't need that and we need to upgrade. And then they create a whole new title for someone who. What was he doing? Was the question that everybody asked themselves.

[Pablo Torre]

JC Treader, the first ever Chief Strategy Officer of the NFLPA in its history, appointed by Lloyd Howell, the man who his process, J.C. tretor's process, had installed via this secretive suspicious regime. But once Lloyd Howell and J.C. treader both resigned last summer, in the wake of all that reporting about this regime and their secretive and suspicious electoral process, the NFLPA needed to appoint an interim executive director. And the candidate they turned to, of course, was the other finalist JC Treader, apparently wanted in that process from 2023, David White, who was not employed at the time and had a previous scandal of his own while in charge of SAG aftra, a union which White ran as a pro business management firm friendly leader, if any of that sounds familiar. And in 2014, Whitehead threatened to sue Amy Berg, the Academy Award nominated director of a documentary called An Open Secret. And White threatened to sue her if she did not whitewash remove entirely all references to SAG aftra's role in a massive Hollywood pedophilia scandal. Which, you know, sounds pretty bad on several immediate levels, but the NFLPA's vetting of this alleged cover up, according to a union spokesperson who spoke to the Washington Post last summer, was again unambiguous. The NFLPA has reviewed this issue closely and feels confident that it has been fully briefed on the facts and context, the spokesperson told the Post. And so I asked both Berg, the documentary's director as well as the co founder of a non profit dedicated to child actors, Anne Henry, who is a crucial source in An Open Secret. An obvious question. Did anyone ever contact you from the NFLPA or A search firm working for the NFLPA about David White? No, they never did. Has anyone from the nflpa, anybody from a search firm hired by the nflpa, anybody from the world of sports? Have they reached out to you? No one. No one has contacted me about this at all.

[Craig Jones]

Nothing.

[Pablo Torre]

Which does feel like something, something in fact, that raises questions about the role of the NFLPA's player president. The head of this executive committee that's been running the union, Jalen Reeves Mabin, over this whole last year of mess. And in a statement to Pablo Torre finds out, Jalen Reeves Mabin wrote in part the following quote, the suggestion that this election is simply a continuation of the prior leadership is wrong. We brought in an independent executive search firm, followed best practice guidance from outside counsel, involved our general counsel at every step, and conducted one of the most rigorous searches in the union's history. Every candidate was fully vetted with background checks completed and any prior issues reviewed. This is the players union and under our constitution, the executive director is elected by player leadership. Staff members, former staff and outside voices do not decide that outcome. The players do. End quote. And so here this week, after one of the most rigorous searches in the union's history, are the three known finalists for the globally significant job of NFLPA executive director. There's a man named Tim Pernetti, commissioner of the American Conference and former Rutgers athletic director, who's been described to me as the clear underdog. There's the clear favorite, JC Trust Treader, who also happens to be apparently the one and only player of all of those who applied who was deemed worthy of finalist status despite how much Jalen Reeves Mabin was just talking about how this is a players union and this even though JC Treader is the guy who brought Lloyd Howell to the union such that they both had to resign last summer, giving way to David White. And the third finalist you may now be unsurprised to learn is of course David White, who warrants a bit more description.

[Craig Jones]

Eunuch esque. That's how I describe him.

[Pablo Torre]

He

[Craig Jones]

is another toy in the game of JC Treader and the powers that be who want to continue to undermine the organization. I asked David White in August of 25 at the ALL staff meeting when he was being introduced to us, how do you feel about being the runner up in the beauty contest and you were the better looking one, how did that happen? And I asked Jalen Reeves Mabin, how did this happen? His response to the staff was, we're not perfect. We weren't perfect. By selecting Lloyd Howe over David White. So I went, well, okay, perfection's for heaven. It's not for here, but is it something you would do better? And I asked Mr. White, I said, what do you think about it? And he said, the process is sound. They made their selections based on the procedures and policies that they wanted to follow them on. I'm just fortunate to be here now as your interim. And that was August of 2025. And an esteemed player sent me an email and said, thank you so much for asking that question, because there's a lot of us who wanted to know that as well. So that's how I started the HR department said I was being too hard on Mr. Mabin, and my queries and questions were antagonistic and to stand down from doing all of that.

[Pablo Torre]

I love the very basic fact that you've been on the record about this for a very long time, that if anybody wants to say this is sour grapes because the guy got fired, I think it's. It could not be more clear that at every possible turn, to the frustration of those in charge, you were asking the questions that lots of people, again, were just afraid to ask.

[Craig Jones]

Exactly. And he was okay with, we're not perfect. And I was hoping from Mr. White that he would kind of defend himself in that process, but he didn't. He just said everything was sound. It was the way that it was supposed to be. The best man won. I'm just happy to be here now as the interim.

[Pablo Torre]

And so eunuch was the vocabulary word that came to Craig Jones mind.

[Craig Jones]

Yes, because he has no stones of leadership. He's not inspiring. He didn't come in and try to take the reins. He tried to maintain the status quo. And let's keep things quiet. Come to me. We don't need to have a whole lot of discussions about a lot of things. The process is going to be what it's going to be. I'm only going to be the interim, but support the process that's going to eventually find a new executive director. Well, in November, Jalen and Tom de Paso sent in all staff.

[Pablo Torre]

Tom de Paso, the general counsel of

[Craig Jones]

the union, said that here's what's happening. We're starting the selection process again. We're going to do this, we're going to do that. Don't worry yourself with the process. The confidentiality keeps candidates sequestered from the public knowing because some of them have other jobs and they may not want everybody to know their other jobs. And I sent Jalen Rees Mabin an email saying, okay, I'm to Understand that what failed a few years ago in this election with Lloyd Howe, you're going to use the same process to choose someone new. How do you expect for that to go over? And he just emailed me back and said, thanks for your input, Craig. And then a couple of days later, the HR department sends me an email and said that my email to Mr. Mabin was again, antagonistic.

[Pablo Torre]

You're a real villain. Yes, Craig, clearly, all these emails. How dare you.

[Craig Jones]

Yes.

[Pablo Torre]

You know, when you mentioned Jalen Reeves Mabin, we also had previously reported this, that when Jalen Reeves Maven was elected as the president of the nflpa, it also came under, let's call them interesting electoral circumstances, because this was in 2024, and Jalen Reeves Mabin was one of the finalists. The other in his election for player president was a player by the name of Calvin Beachum. And Calvin Beachum, among other things, kept on flagging one team. The thing that Heather McPhee was also flagging as a potential problem, he's on the record saying that. I am told, and I'm also told that in those small group meetings where Jalen Reeves Mabin would go campaign in front of the board of representatives, which had been split into different groups, that Jaylene News Maven would get a chance to campaign and Calvin Beachum would get a chance to campaign. And then, according to one union source who was in the room, J.C. tretter entered and campaigned on behalf of Jalen Reeves Mabin, negatively campaigning, to put it generously, against Calvin Beacham. And so for those who don't know, the executive committee of the nflpa, the, the leader, of course, is the player president. And so when you ask the question, when you yell the question into a void, how is this happening? The president of the union is in jail. Rees Maven, a player who has been very notably aligned with the man who had to resign in disgrace and now is back because that guy, J.C. treader, had installed previously, Jaylen Reeves may have been. That smells pretty bad

[Craig Jones]

and everybody of decency and that again, that wonderful love they have for the players we serve, they all know that, that it smells bad. And the reason that they've managed to continue to push it through is because of the positions in power that they're in, the people that they have in the organization working inside for them. And I do have to say that, and I hope it changes. There is a degree, a small degree of player apathy. The union, the. This head.

[Pablo Torre]

Well, that's what I was going to ask about is the check on union leadership as much as Craig Jones can send emails, as much as Heather McPhee can document her objections on a legal basis and then also be terminated, the power still does remain in an electoral body of players. And I do wonder, do they see this as clearly as the people inside the NFLPA headquarters in Washington D.C. have seen it?

[Craig Jones]

It's been my experience with athletes that when their talents and their God giving gifts and all of the things that they have going for themselves, whenever they enter whatever arena that they're in, when those talents and things are at the height of their beauty and they're being paid and they can look at their bank account and they've got nice clothes and they're providing for their family and loved ones, the last thing they're thinking about is tomorrow. Because we're always told that the best moment is the moment you're in. And I think sometimes that there are people who sit back in business and go, let's let that myopia that athletes have because they're just seeing themselves in the moment work for them. But let's let the aftermath of the moment work for us. So people come in who are scurrilous, who are scheming. A lot of good, decent players are flim flammed and they don't even know it till it's too late to know it. When they're sometimes going, eh, that's business. I ain't thinking about no business right now. I got other things I need to do. Is my car clean? You know, there are some people who are just sitting back, three o' clock in the morning going, how can I get this player's stuff without him knowing it? So when I saw the finalists for this weekend, I went, they're keeping it going. They are maintaining the Okie doke to continue to try to fulfill their greed and avarice.

[Pablo Torre]

It's something that I can't get over. It's just rare, you know, in the story of sports, in the story of, certainly like labor reporting, which is a limited field, you rarely hear from the security guard, you rarely hear from the head of security.

[Craig Jones]

My patron saint of security was Frank Wills, the gentleman who discovered the Watergate break in. He was asked many years ago, how did you happen to come across something that turned out to be so, so big of a story in all of American politics? And his response was, I was just doing my job. I was on patrol and I saw some tape. I took it off, came back after lunch and saw the tape there again, I called the police. And then they discovered this. So for Me. That's all it's been just me doing what I was duty bound to do, to protect and serve and to have presence and observation in all set of circumstances that if something didn't seem quite right to speak to my director, Tim Christine about it or raise my hand in all staff meetings or send out all staff emails saying, consider this, and that's pretty much what I did. I had to do it.

[Pablo Torre]

The thing that you've also been doing in your 70s is not merely surviving prostate cancer and it's not merely burying your nephew, who is somebody that I can't help but think about because we were trying to figure out when could you come visit New York and you had to arrange funeral services. And so my condolences.

[Craig Jones]

Thank you, sir.

[Pablo Torre]

But the other thing you're doing, of course, is tending to your mom, the one who taught you.

[Craig Jones]

That's correct.

[Pablo Torre]

To stay off of other people's stuff.

[Craig Jones]

Yes.

[Pablo Torre]

And so as you think of your mom, and again, your mom battling dementia.

[Craig Jones]

Dementia, yes.

[Pablo Torre]

And trying to hold on to key memories. And you have for all time a record of how you saw this story. And so I was wondering if you could just read the end of your goodbye email that you sent to the all staff NFLPA listserv, because I can't think of a better way to end this.

[Craig Jones]

Maybe. Oh, yeah. To my former co workers who I hold so dear. You know who you are. I genuflect in your honor on how you continue unselfishly to serve players with unwavering verve and professional aplomb as executive ineptitude swirls still around you. Don't despair. Muhammad Ali once told me, the deeper the pressure, the greater the poise. You will always be cherished. I love you. I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry. They were so wonderful. And to see them disparaged and treated and kicked aside and cheated on. And that group of employees that I worked with, they were just wonderful. And I will always love them and always think about them and tell them to keep up the good work. Don't. Don't. If you got to take a stand in eight, do so. But after you cleared your head, get back in the game and take care of the players that we serve, watch over them the way you so wonderfully have done, and continue to believe that your work is not in vain.

[Pablo Torre]

Mr. Craig Jones, thank you for speaking truth to power.

[Craig Jones]

Mr. Pablo Torre. This has been an honor of my lifetime because it lets me know that I'm not alone. Thank you, sir.

[Pablo Torre]

This has been. Pablo Torre finds out a Meadowlark Media production and I'll talk to you next time.

[Boost Mobile Announcer]

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[Pablo Torre]

Knock knock.

[Craig Jones]

Ooh, who's there?

[Pablo Torre]

A Boost Mobile expert here to deliver and set up your all new iPhone 17 Pro, designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever. You called that a knock knock joke? This isn't a joke. Boost mobile really sends experts to deliver and set up your phone at home or work. Okay, it's just that when people say knock knock, there's usually a joke to go with it. Like I said, this isn't a joke. So the knock knock was just you knocking? Yeah, that's how doors work. Get the new iPhone 17 Pro delivered and set up by an expert wherever you are. Delivery available for select devices [e-mail] terms apply.