Overview

• The NFLPA put associate general counsel Heather McPhee, who joined the union in 2009, on paid administrative leave after multiple employees filed HR complaints accusing her of bullying, insubordination and disrupting the work environment.
• McPhee’s internal memos warning of a bonus plan and equity allocations at group licensing firm OneTeam Partners helped trigger an FBI criminal investigation into the NFLPA and MLBPA’s $2 billion joint venture.
• She has not been granted whistleblower status in the federal probe and therefore lacks the legal protections that designation would provide.
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe is investigating the workplace allegations against McPhee and WilmerHale is conducting a separate governance review following former executive director Lloyd Howell Jr.’s July resignation.
• Interim executive director David White, appointed Aug. 4, issued a letter detailing the HR complaints and stressed the union’s reliance on external reviews to address governance and conduct concerns.