Former NFLPA executive committee member says JC Tretter "seems just as culpable" as Lloyd Howell

There’s a storm raging within the NFL Players Association, and at times it feels as if we’re in the eye of it.

The vast majority of texts and calls to the PFT hotline since the resignation of NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell relate to the next steps for the union. There’s plenty of noise, some of which has been posted here — and plenty of which (at least for now) has not been.

Our goal isn’t to tee up names or play the Game of Thrones game. It’s to make sure the players understand what’s happening and, ideally, that they reclaim control of their union. Because it seems that both the NFL and NFLPA non-player leadership have weaponized player apathy, any sign that the players are waking up and taking charge is significant.

Here’s something that has happened within the past day. Sam Acho — a former member of the NFLPA executive committee — has sounded the alarm via Twitter.

“Players who are voting,” Acho said, “I understand you’ve been kept out of the loop. Listen to [the Pablo Torre Finds Out] podcast or read the article by [Kalyn Kahler of ESPN.com]. JC Tretter seems just as culpable (if not more) than Lloyd Howell.”

The Acho tweet tags five current members of the board of player representatives: Zaven Collins, Von Miller, Shelby Harris, Cole Kmet, and Zaire Franklin.

Acho’s plea comes at a time when a text message critical of Tretter has been making the rounds. A longer document entitled “Risk Assessment of NFLPA Interim Executive Director Candidates” (which focuses only on Tretter) has been circulating, along with rumors that Tretter could be pushing for current NFL Players Inc. president Matt Curtin to become the interim executive director, since Curtin would be likely to keep Tretter in position as chief strategy officer.

Meanwhile, the NFLPA has remained largely silent. There’s been nothing from NFLPA president Jaylen Reeves-Maybin. Nothing from Tretter. The executive committee’s only statement came a week ago, when it vowed to not rush to judgment on Howell.

It’s therefore very noteworthy that a former member of the executive committee has decided to publicly share his opinions in a public forum, with five members of the board of players representatives specifically mentioned.