Tony Clark resigned Tuesday as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, and reporting from ESPN's Jeff Passan and Don Van Natta Jr. explains why.
Videos by FanBuzz
MLBPA executive director Tony Clark resigned after an internal investigation revealed he had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who had been hired by the union in 2023, sources tell me and @DVNJr.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 17, 2026
An internal investigation found Clark had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who was hired by the union in 2023. Shortly after that finding, Clark stepped aside.
Clark had led the MLBPA since 2013 and was the first former player to hold the job. He became the public face of the union during the 2021-22 lockout and was expected to be the lead negotiator again when the current collective bargaining agreement expires in December.
Now he will not be.
And the fallout does not stop there.
The Eastern District of New York is also investigating the MLBPA's finances and business dealings. A major focus is OneTeam Partners, the joint licensing and media company co owned by the MLBPA and NFL Players Association.
According to a former NFLPA lawyer, Clark and former NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell shut down an internal review tied to a proposal that would have paid OneTeam board members millions.
Investigators are also looking into Players Way, a for profit youth baseball company launched by the MLBPA that has burned through millions while producing very little.
All of it lands at the worst possible moment. Owners are expected to be unified heading into the next CBA fight. The players now face it without their longtime leader and under a growing cloud.
That is leverage the union can't afford to lose.
