NFLPA puts lawyer whose allegations led to FBI probe on leave, sources say - ESPN

The NFL Players Association put one of its top lawyers on paid administrative leave Tuesday after multiple employees filed complaints with the union's human resources department, five sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN on Thursday.

Heather McPhee, associate general counsel for the NFLPA since 2009, was the subject of complaints alleging her failure to follow supervisors' directions as well as allegations of bullying colleagues and disrupting the union's work environment, the sources told ESPN.

The decision to put her on leave comes months after her allegations helped prompt a federal investigation into the financial dealings of the NFLPA and the Major League Baseball Players Association in relation to OneTeam Partners, their $2 billion licensing company.

McPhee did not return phone or text messages from ESPN on Thursday. Her lawyer, William Pittard, did not return messages. An NFLPA spokesperson declined to comment, saying they do not comment on personnel matters.

Among those filing complaints about McPhee's alleged workplace conduct, sources familiar with the situation said, was Matt Curtin, the head of NFL Players Inc., the licensing arm of the union, and a member of the OneTeam board.

Inside the union's Washington, D.C., headquarters, McPhee was an outspoken and frequent critic of recently departed NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell Jr., the sources told ESPN.

She had previously retained counsel amid the ongoing FBI inquiry into the two unions' relationship with OneTeam. The group-licensing firm is 44.5% owned by the NFLPA, the sources told ESPN.

The workplace allegations against McPhee were outlined in a letter dated Tuesday and signed by the NFLPA's new interim executive director, David White.