The NFL Players Association has elected a veteran entertainment labor figure as its interim leader after former executive director Lloyd Howell resigned in July.

On Sunday the players’ union announced that they had appointed former SAG-AFTRA national executive director David White to the vacant leadership position following a “a comprehensive, player-led process.” The move follows Howell’s resignation in a cloud of controversy on July 17 after two years as the union’s top staffer.

“We have full faith in David to take the union forward and operate in the best interests of our membership. David has spent much of his career fighting for collectively bargained rights in the labor movement and is committed to putting players first in all the union does,” NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin said in a statement. “We are confident that he will inspire solidarity and provide the necessary stability during this period of transition.”

White has a wealth of experience dealing with labor issues involving high-profile talent, having previously served as SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator between 2009 and 2021 after working as general counsel for the performers’ union between 2002 and 2006.

During his time leading the actors’ union, White oversaw the 2012 merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He also made inroads with new media agreements that helped SAG-AFTRA break into digital work and worked on protections against sexual harassment for union members.

White was in the running for the executive director position at the NFLPA in 2023, though Howell ultimately won that election. The NFLPA has said it will soon commence a search process for a permanent staff leader.

“I am grateful to the NFLPA’s player leadership for entrusting me with the privilege and responsibility to guide their union as interim executive director,” White said in a statement. “It’s a duty I do not take lightly, and I’m committed to reestablishing trust and ensuring the union is serving its members best.”

White will join the NFLPA after it was rocked by scandal during Howell’s two-year tenure. A part-time role that Howell held at The Carlyle Group during his time at the union was called a conflict of interest; further, Howell reportedly expensed the union for two trips to strip clubs.

White’s SAG-AFTRA biography labels him a Kansas City Chiefs fan.