The new executive director of the NFL players’ union once worked as chief financial officer for a major US corporation. The latter is now settling a long-running legal dispute with the government – under special circumstances.

The NFL players’ union (NFLPA) has a new executive director in Lloyd Howell. The latter once served as chief financial officer of the firm Booz Allen Hamilton. The firm recently cleaned up a major financial mess.

According to the “Washington Post”, Booz Allen is said to have agreed to pay 377 million US dollars to settle a long-running legal dispute with the US government. In it, the firm was accused by authorities of overbilling to cover losses in other business areas.

“This settlement, which is one of the largest in the history of procurement fraud, demonstrates that the United States prosecutes even the largest companies and the most complex matters where taxpayer money is alleged to have been misappropriated,” said Matthew M. Graves, a District of Columbia prosecutor.

Circumstances surrounding Howell controversial

According to the newspaper, the criminal prosecution of the group has now been concluded, meanwhile the Securities and Exchange Commission continues to investigate.

The case began in 2015 when an employee became a whistleblower after her internal warnings were previously disregarded. A month before the woman left the company, Howell became chief financial officer there.

Meanwhile, it is unclear whether the NFLPA was aware of the situation when Howell was hired. While he has not been accused of any specific wrongdoing, the circumstances appear controversial and give rise to an investigation.