Latest news with #stripclubs
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
NFLPA head Lloyd Howell Jr. steps down amid reports he expensed trips to strip clubs
NFL Players Association (NFLPA) Executive Director Lloyd Howell Jr., seen here in New Orleans on Feb 5, has stepped down from his role amid various controversies, including reports that he expensed the union for trips to strip clubs. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports/Imagn Images/Reuters/File via CNN Newsource) NFL Players Association (NFLPA) Executive Director Lloyd Howell Jr. has stepped down from his role amid various controversies, including reports on Friday that he expensed the union for trips to strip clubs. 'It's clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day,' Howell said in a statement late on Thursday night. 'For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately. I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.' When contacted by CNN, the NFLPA declined to comment. CNN has also reached out to Howell Jr., through the union. According to Reuters, which cited ESPN, receipts from a trip taken by Howell in November 2023 showed that the NFLPA was billed for a car service and other costs by Tootsie's Cabaret in Miami, which claims to be the largest strip club in the world. Citing ESPN, Reuters also reported that a second strip club bill was also reviewed by the NFLPA's lawyers, relating to a reported trip in February during the NFLPA summit and itemizing US$2,426 in charges, which included cash withdrawals from a club ATM ranging between $200 and $525. Howell reportedly earned between $3.5 million and $4 million in his role with the NFLPA. That was not the only controversy which Howell has become embroiled in during the last two weeks. Citing ESPN, Reuters reported that alongside his commitments to the NFLPA, Howell also held a part-time consultancy role with The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm that the NFL reportedly approved to pursue minority ownership in NFL franchises. This has been viewed by many as a serious conflict of interest. On top of that, Reuters – citing ESPN – also reported that Howell had decided to keep NFL players in the dark over an arbitration ruling on suspected collusion between team owners. Amid concerns that owners were coming together to reduce the growth of quarterback contracts, arbitrator Christopher Droney ruled there was not sufficient evidence to support the claims, per Reuters. However, he added that 'by a clear preponderance of the evidence,' the NFL's general counsel, along with commissioner Roger Goodell, did encourage owners to restrict guaranteed money in player contracts, the agency reported. According to reports, Howell and the NFLPA had a confidentiality agreement with the NFL designed to stop the full report from leaking. Although Howell did brief players on the matter, he did not give them copies of the report, according to Reuters, which cited ESPN. 'I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish at the NFLPA over the past two years,' Howell added in his statement. 'I will be rooting for the players from the sidelines as loud as ever, and I know the NFLPA will continue to ensure that players remain firmly at the center of football's future.' By Jamie Barton, CNN
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How OnlyFans killed off the strip club: Number of venues falls to lowest level in over a decade
Strip clubs are dying out – and experts blame OnlyFans. Only 103 premises still exist in England, Scotland and Wales, figures suggest. This is down from around 155 in 2022. Nick Ede, one of the UK's most esteemed experts on popular culture, told MailOnline: 'OnlyFans has totally killed the strip club. 'People are now tipping sex workers and strippers using their phones, rather than slipping a 10 pound note in a thong. 'It's also a clear generational thing, too. Strip clubs were seen as sleazy venues, now they are seen as old and out of touch with today's lifestyles.' The statistics, obtained by MailOnline under Freedom of Information laws, also show how standalone sex shops are vanishing. Just 42 now exist, compared to 104 in 2010. Mr Ede added: 'Sex shops will soon die a death because people purchase them from online shops which package and post them discreetly.' MailOnline sent FOI requests to all 350 local authorities responsible for issuing sexual establishment licences in England, Scotland and Wales. Under current laws, all sex premises – including pole dancing venues and standalone shops selling sex toys and paraphernalia – have to apply for new operating licences (SEV) each year. Applications can cost businesses up to £10,000, although fees vary wildly across the country. Campaigners fighting to keep the sex worker industry alive say the rules have given council bosses 'much greater powers over whether to keep them open'. In total, 184 councils have taken no SEV applications at all since 2010 – when the new rules came into play. The amendment was proposed and passed after a series of objections from local councils to the formation of new or operation of existing strip clubs on the grounds of the impact on the community. Edinburgh, Swansea and Exeter councils have even introduced 'nil cap' orders, which effectively ban new sex venues from opening. Only 50 strip clubs that were licensed in 2010 remain open today. Birmingham is the strip club capital of the country, with 21 active establishments. Liverpool (10), Newcastle Upon Tyne (10) and Manchester (8) follow behind. Meanwhile, Cardiff, Birmingham and Wolverhampton all lay claim to having the most sex shops, with four apiece. Experts believe the erosion of strip clubs and sex shops reflects the overall trend of British nightlife. Around a quarter of UK adults are thought to be teetotal, jumping to over a third of Gen Z, meaning less punters are likely to cross the strip club thresholds after a night out on the town. A 2021 YouGov poll suggests that only a quarter of men would support banning strip clubs outright, with the figure reaching over 40 per cent for women. And earlier research from the pollster shows that the majority of people in Britain think it is acceptable for a person in a relationship to go to a strip club on a stag or hen do. But the advent of OnlyFans has reshaped how some young people engage with sexual content, some experts believe. Data from Ipsos Iris show that in January, 4.4 per cent of the British population – or 2.2m people – visited the site. This was up 64 per cent in a year. Audrey Jones, a campaigner for DecrimNow – the unofficial union for sex workers, disagreed with Mr Ede. She said: 'I don't think OnlyFans has made an impact at all. 'This trend (the decline of strip clubs) was happening way before OnlyFans was a thing. 'They work in different markets and big groups of lads on stag dos... don't go on OnlyFans.' Proliferation of free online porn and cheap subscriptions to creators on OnlyFans does present a cheaper alternative to real life encounters in strip clubs. Ms Jones told MailOnline: 'Strippers are some of the first to talk about when a recession is coming because their customer base is the first thing to go.' Venues don't require SEV licenses if sexual entertainment takes place less than once a month. Sixteen councils didn't respond to our FOI request. Others refused to supply figures. High Street stores such as Anne Summers and Agent Provocateur weren't included in the analysis because they don't need licences to operate.
