NFLPA has finalists for executive director job, sources say - ESPN

The NFL Players Association executive committee has narrowed its search for a permanent executive director to a group of finalists, including interim executive director David White and former union chief strategy officer JC Tretter, according to four sources briefed on the process.

Also among the finalists is American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti, the sources said. The union's 32 player representatives will vote on the finalists at the annual NFLPA meeting in San Diego next month.

In a statement to ESPN, NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin said the executive committee is «conducting a comprehensive search that includes a strong pool of highly qualified candidates. Out of respect for the integrity of the process and those involved, we will not comment on or disclose individual names.»

White, Tretter and Pernetti did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The NFLPA has been searching for a permanent leader since July, when then-executive director Lloyd Howell resigned following ESPN reporting that he had charged a pair of strip club visits to the union. ESPN also reported that he worked part time for the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm that is seeking minority ownership in NFL franchises, and that the union and league had struck a confidentiality agreement to keep an arbitrator's rulings about possible collusion by NFL owners from players.

In August, the union elected White as its interim executive director. White is the former CEO of 3CG Ventures, an executive coaching and strategic firm, and a former board chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. He has extensive labor experience, having served as the leader of the SAG-AFTRA union, with 160,000 members who work in the entertainment