JC Tretter, ex presidente de la NFL Players Association, quien renunció a su cargo como director de estrategia superior de la unión el verano pasado, fue elegido como su próximo director ejecutivo el martes.
Tretter, de 35 años, será el quinto director ejecutivo de la NFLPA. Después de evaluar a más de 300 candidatos, ganó una elección a tres bandas frente a David White, director ejecutivo interino de la unión, y Tim Pernetti, comisionado de la American Conference de la NCAA.
“Hay momentos en la vida en los que sabes que estás exactamente en el lugar que se supone que debes ocupar. Ese es mi caso hoy,” declaró Tretter en un comunicado. “Estoy agradecido por la confianza que mis colegas jugadores han depositado en mí, y voy a devolver esa confianza con mi máximo compromiso hacia estos jugadores y a trazar un nuevo rumbo para nuestra unión. Mi único objetivo es fortalecer la NFLPA.
“Entiendo la responsabilidad que conlleva este rol y lo importante que es trabajar codo a codo con el liderazgo de los jugadores. Esta unión siempre ha desempeñado un papel crítico en la configuración del juego, y ese trabajo es tan importante ahora como lo ha sido siempre. La NFLPA necesita una dirección que escuche, que lidere con integridad y que ponga a los jugadores en primer lugar cada día. Eso es exactamente cómo planeo liderar.”
The NFLPA said in a statement that it is “confident in the leadership” Tretter will bring to the players union.
“This decision reflects the responsibility our Board of Player Representatives carries on behalf of every player,” the union’s statement said. “We conducted a thorough, deliberate search to identify the right long-term leader to deliver sustained, meaningful progress for our members. JC earned the trust of our Board and demonstrated a clear commitment to serving this membership. We’re excited about what’s ahead.”
Tretter spent nine years in the NFL as a center for the Green Bay Packers (2013-16) and Cleveland Browns (2017-21). He also holds a labor relations degree from Cornell.
The players union needed a new permanent executive director after Lloyd Howell resigned last summer amid multiple scandals.
Reporting from multiple news outlets found that Howell had hidden key parts of an arbitration ruling from the union membership; had a conflict of interest as a consultant for The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm that had been approved to purchase up to 10% of an NFL franchise; and had expensed to the union two visits to a strip club.
While White served as the interim executive director, Tretter was once seen as a likely candidate for that post until he stepped down from the union in July 2025.
As NFLPA president (2020-24), Tretter oversaw the search that resulted in naming Howell the body’s executive director. And Tretter’s name appeared in an episode of the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that uncovered a second arbitration ruling kept under wraps from players.
A grievance filed against Tretter complained that he’d suggested players could fake injuries as a contract negotiation tactic, which Tretter told CBS Sports he knew was “a dumb tongue-in-cheek remark” he should not have said.
“I don’t have any proof of this,” Tretter told CBS. “I think a lot of the attacks on me came from inside the building over the last six weeks. And I don’t want to walk inside that building anymore.”
He told CBS at the time he wasn’t resigning “in disgrace,” but because he felt he’d been left exposed to take public shots while the union didn’t back him up. But he remained popular enough with players to consider coming back in the executive director position.
Tretter was heavily involved in the most recent collective bargaining agreement struck with the league in 2020, and he was a leader in creating the NFLPA’s annual “team report cards” that allow players to grade each club’s working conditions, from weight room and nutrition to the treatment of players’ families.
Team owners have been critical of the report cards being made public, and last month, an arbitrator ruled that the union distributing the report cards violated the CBA because they were seen as disparaging NFL teams and individuals.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement congratulating Tretter on his election.
“We have worked with JC for several years, first as union president when he helped the league and the NFLPA successfully navigate through COVID during the 2020 season,” Goodell said. “We look forward to building upon that relationship to further our shared priorities, including our commitment to advancing player health and safety and ensuring the global growth of our game for our fans, the players and our clubs.”
–Field Level Media
