(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Lloyd Howell Jr. stepped down as executive director of the NFL Players Association on Thursday night following weeks of scrutiny for multiple blunders, including a reported conflict of interest, a decision to hide key parts of an arbitration ruling from the players and new revelations about expensing strip-club trips back to the union.

'It's clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day,' Howell said in a statement. 'For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately. I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.

'I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish at the NFLPA over the past two years. I will be rooting for the players from the sidelines as loud as ever, and I know the NFLPA will continue to ensure that players remain firmly at the center of football's future.'

Last week, ESPN reported that Howell held a part-time role as a consultant for The Carlyle Group, one of a small handful of private equity firms that the NFL has approved to pursue minority ownership in franchises.

ESPN's reporting included a former lead outside counsel for the NFLPA, Jim Quinn, calling it 'an outrageous conflict for the head of a labor union to have an interest in a third party that is aligned with the NFL.'

It was not the first blow to Howell's reputation this offseason. And it might not be the last.

ESPN reported Friday that receipts from a November 2023 trip taken by Howell -- whose salary was reportedly between $3.5 and $4 million per year -- showed car service and other costs billed to the NFLPA from Tootsie's Cabaret, which promotes itself as the world's largest strip club.

ESPN also corroborated through receipts and independent reporting another strip club bill reviewed by union lawyers. The more recent incident was in February during the NFLPA summit. In the report, ESPN states: 'Howell accompanied two union employees to the Magic City strip club for an outing that included $2,426 in charges including cash withdrawals, ranging from $200 to $525, from a club ATM, sources and documents show. They used two 'VIP rooms.''

In June, the 'Pablo Torre Finds Out' podcast published an arbitrator's report from January, when the NFLPA and the league were at odds over potential collusion by team owners to tamp down the growth of quarterback contracts.

The arbitrator, Christopher Droney, ruled that there wasn't sufficient evidence of collusion between owners -- but he went on to say that 'by a clear preponderance of the evidence,' commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL's general counsel encouraged owners to restrict guaranteed money in player contracts.

Howell and the union reportedly had a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to keep the full report from getting out. Howell briefed the players but didn't provide them copies of the report, according to ESPN.

Furthermore, Howell sits on the board of OneTeam Partners, a group licensing firm that is under investigation by the FBI.

--Field Level Media