Katherine Terrell
New Orleans – Lloyd Howell Jr., executive director of the NFL Players Association, opposed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s recent statement that safety data will not thwart the expansion of the regular season.
“Frankly, I don’t know how he is reaching that conclusion based on the data we have access to,” Howell said at the NFLPA annual press conference on Wednesday.
Howell was asked about the NFLPA’s current stance on the 18-game season two days after Goodell’s league press conference. Goodell said Monday that 18 regular season games and two preseason games “may be possible,” citing safety data that brought concussions to historically low levels during the 2024 season.
Howell said after adding the 17th game in 2021, players are opposed to another regular season expansion.
“No one wants to play the 18th game. There’s no one there,” Howell said. “For many people, 17 games are already too long. 17 games are so long that they are still dealing with injuries that enter the next season. So there are a variety of issues. The season before formal negotiations “
Howell and Goodell said this week that the discussion on the 18 games is unofficial. The current CBA, ratified in 2020, will expire after the 2030 season. The length of the season will be written to the CBA and must be voted and agreed to both the owner and the player.
“Commentary other than formal negotiations is merely an explanation,” Howell said. “It’s a player’s decision as to what they’re going to do.”
Howell said some issues need to be addressed before true negotiations are opened to expand the season. He cited the size of the roster, the size of the practice squad, the length of the offseason, and the number of international games the CBA currently caps at 10.
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“When we talk about 18 games, what does the international composition look like? Where and where are they? There’s evidence that they’re Australia, the Middle East, India, and you want to name them.” said Howell. “They really want to see the international (aspect) of the game. So how does that fit into 18 games?”
Howell played three games in 10 days, and within 48 hours of this season the Green Bay Packers flew back to Brazil and said there was “more things to do” about the travel team’s schedule and volume. The safety of playing the surface was another concern he raised.
Howell also discussed revenue distribution and player profits due to recent rules changes that allow private equity companies to purchase small shares on their teams due to NFL growth and recent rules changes, and said, ” The league was less valuable than ever.” The Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins are two teams that sold minority ownership to private equity companies.
He said he hopes to share that income with players one day.
“The new role of private equity in the league has made me think about how all other industries encourage their top talent by giving them fairness. “We are We look forward to working with our members to determine how we can explore compensation structures that provide the right performance incentives.
The NFLPA also awarded the annual Allanpage Community Award to New York Giants Wide Receiver Darius Slayton. The award, voted by the player, will be given to players who “have an extraordinary impact from the field of his community.” Other finalists include New Orleans Saints linebackers DeMario Davis and Derrick Henry, Indianapolis Colts Center’s Ryan Kelly and Minnesota Viking’s Safety Camlin Bynum’s Baltimore Ravens. I can.
