A bizarre parking-space request involving O.J. Simpson has added another twist to Lloyd Howell’s controversial tenure with and resignation from the NFLPA.
Howell, who left his post as the NFL players union’s executive director last week, “ordered” the facilities department at the union’s Washington, D.C. headquarters to “merge two spaces in the parking garage” over concern of potential door dings on his Porsche Cayenne Turbo, ESPN reported Wednesday.
He then asked for the parking space numbers, 10 and 11, to be wiped out and replaced with 32 in honor of Simpson, according to the union’s chief security officer, Craig Jones.
“I don’t know why O.J.,” Jones told ESPN. “Everyone has their preferences, perhaps.”
A second source “confirmed the Simpson inspiration” to the outlet.
Simpson, a Hall of Fame running back who died in April 2024, was stunningly acquitted after being charged with the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
In 2008, Simpson was sentenced up to 33 years in prison after an armed robbery and kidnapping case stemming from a sports memorabilia heist at a Las Vegas hotel and casino in 2007. He was granted parole in 2017.
The beginning of the end for Howell came a month ago, when Pablo Torre first reported that an independent arbitrator found that, while there wasn’t enough evidence to prove collusion, “there is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the Commissioner [Roger Goodell], encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veteran’s contracts at the March 2022 annual owner’s meeting.”
That meeting came shortly after quarterback Deshaun Watson received a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract from the Browns.
ESPN then reported earlier this month that Howell and other union leaders reached a deal with the NFL to hide details of the ruling.
Dominoes continued to fall on Howell in a series of ESPN reports.
One revealed that Howell was a consultant for The Carlyle Group, one of several private-equity firms approved by the NFL for ownership, raising conflict-of-interest concerns; Howell resigned from his post with Carlyle, a spokesman for the company told ESPN on Monday.
Another report said Howell was sued in 2011 for sexual discrimination and retaliation by an employee at Booz Allen, where he had a 34-year career as an executive; the suit was settled in 2015.
A third ESPN report said an outside investigator hired by the NFLPA found that Howell expensed two visits to strip clubs, one of which included a $738.82 car service from an airport and $2,426 in charges during a separate visit that included ATM withdrawals and the use of “VIP rooms.”