On Thursday, ESPN reported on the existence of an internal disagreement regarding whether the NFLPA board of players representatives knew that Howell’s conduct had become a focal point of the 2011 ge...

Howell went on to note that his presence has become a "distraction" and ultimately prompted his decision to step away.

"To find this out after we elected Lloyd is concerning; it feels like it was quashed," a different player rep told a confidant, who shared the comments with ESPN.