Thursday night’s news that NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell has resigned isn’t necessarily the end. It’s possibly the beginning of a two-step process that will result in the NFLPA severing ties with the man most identified with the hiring of Howell in the first place.

All 32 NFL player reps were on a call last night to discuss the next NFLPA executive director. It’s shaping up to be a two-man race: JC Tretter, who has majority support, and Don Davis. There’s other names, but these are the lead candidates, per sources.

The Jets under coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey are off to a solid start. The biggest move was getting both of their star players signed before training camp begins.

".....and what of JC Tretter?" Jones wrote. "He is the progenitor of this whole tawdry episode of poseurs, 30 pieces of silver, player leadership manque and avarice. What of him?

NFL players must be protected like no other athlete, risking serious injury at video-game speed before the toll makes them expendable.

Much has been made recently about the collusion grievance filed by the NFLPA against the NFL and the fallout from an arbitrator’s findings on the case being made public.

In the same week that the ruling emerged in the grievance sparked by the efforts of former NFL Players Association president JC Tretter to suggest that disgruntled players should fake injuries, the NFLPA has exercised its prerogative to discharge the arbitrator who ruled against the union.

While the grievance decision had not been reported publicly before Thursday, the league says it informed teams at its March league meeting.