NFL: Interim NFLPA Director Dismisses 18-Game Season

The possibility of extending the NFL regular season to 18 games, something that seemed imminent, has lost momentum. David White, the interim executive director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), revealed that he has not held discussions with the league about expanding the regular season, which currently consists of 17 games since 2021. White described a productive meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in New York as “a very good start to our relationship” and added that they have agreed on an “open and respectful” line of communication.

The league has the right to bring up any topic it wishes and, presumably, propose what it is willing to give to receive what it wants in the negotiation, but we’ll see when that happens. We haven’t talked about it yet, and it’s certainly not inevitable and shouldn’t be presented as such.

David White, interim executive director of the NFLPA

Any season expansion would require a renegotiation of the current NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, which expires in March 2031. While the NFL season prepares to kick off on Thursday night in Philadelphia, with the current Super Bowl champions, the Eagles, hosting the Dallas Cowboys, White is traveling to different cities to meet with the teams and communicate directly with the players. The former SAG-AFTRA executive director replaced Lloyd Howell last month. Howell resigned in July, citing distractions caused by his leadership. Restoring trust in leadership and rebuilding the union’s image are key priorities for White, a veteran labor executive who has guided some of the world’s most prominent entertainment and financial organizations.

First, understand that unions sometimes have problems, so there is no need to panic or overreact. Unions are the home of the members, so the NFLPA is the home of the players, and that means that every action we take must align with our mission, which is to protect and empower the players of the National Football League. And the players need to hear that. The players need to see it in action with the way we behave and through our performance, and we need to remind ourselves of it.

David White, Interim Executive Director of the NFLPA

White expressed his admiration for the staff he has met in his first month, calling them creative, intelligent, and player-focused. Three days after Howell’s resignation, NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter resigned from his position. Tretter was considered a candidate to replace Howell, who was elected over White two years ago. The NFLPA executive committee chose White by a 10-1 vote, but Howell was selected by the 32 player representatives. White addressed numerous topics in his first interview since being elected on August 3. He has resigned from several boards and paused his work as CEO of 3CG Ventures, an executive coaching and strategic consulting firm, as a prerequisite for taking on his new role. White declined to comment on the investigation into Howell’s leadership and the federal investigation into OneTeam Partners, a licensing company founded by the NFLPA and the MLBPA. Last month, it was reported that the union placed Heather McPhee, one of its top lawyers, on paid administrative leave after several employees filed complaints with the union’s human resources department. This decision came months after McPhee’s accusations helped drive the federal investigation into OneTeam Partners.

It had nothing to do with retaliation or whistleblowers. Retaliation is not something that is going to happen in this organization while I am here. That is a personnel matter and I am not going to say anything about it.

David White, interim executive director of the NFLPA

Interest in the permanent position of NFLPA CEO

It’s hard for people to understand, but I literally am not thinking about that at all. And I’m not just saying that. The board hired me to change this place and my commitment during my time here is that the NFLPA will look different after my time here than before. If my time is as interim, then I intend to fulfill that mandate.

David White, Interim Executive Director of the NFLPA

Player Priorities

Players are looking at the field conditions. They are looking at information about their well-being and their injuries. They may have questions that have to do with their salary. Particularly, we have just come out of a moment where some players made the list and others didn’t. What opportunities do I have? What rights do I have?

David White, Interim Executive Director of the NFLPA

Micah Parsons’ contract negotiations with Jerry Jones

There was tremendous, tremendous activity around that from our staff and we were in contact with all parties and working with all parties on that, quietly, quietly. And while everyone was asking the question, we didn’t negotiate in the press. We don’t do our work in the press. We do our work behind the scenes and, whenever possible, in partnership and in conjunction with the member and the member’s representatives. And whether you’re talking about Micah Parsons or a number of other high-profile negotiations in the final stage, we were absolutely involved in that… We intend to enforce each and every provision of the collective bargaining agreement when we believe there may be a violation. And the best way to do that is to call people and say, ‘Knock it off.’ When both sides can do that, when necessary, that usually leads to a productive relationship between management and labor. When it doesn’t work, for whatever reason, that’s when you take it to the next level, which is to file a complaint to go to court, or take whatever action is available to you under the collective bargaining agreement. In this case, and here you’re talking about Jerry and Micah and their representatives and the other people involved, I will say that Micah has found his way to Green Bay with a contract that he has publicly stated makes him happy, and that makes us happy.

David White, Interim Executive Director of the NFLPA

Flag football at the 2028 Olympic Games

Our players are like any other American citizen. Many of them would jump at the chance to represent their country in the Olympics, so the opportunity to do so in a game that reflects the basic principles of American football would be very exciting. We haven’t spoken directly with the league about this yet, but we hope to do so.

David White, interim executive director of the NFLPA