{"id":69518,"date":"2026-03-30T15:04:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T19:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=69518"},"modified":"2026-03-30T15:04:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T19:04:23","slug":"tretter-nfl-players-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/tretter-nfl-players-union\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Players\u2019 Union Taps Former Big Red Star as Executive Director"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

JC Tretter \u201913, a past offensive lineman with the Packers and Browns, previously served as the organization\u2019s president<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Cornellians<\/em> staff<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A former Big Red football star and pro player has been elected executive director of the NFL players\u2019 union. ILR alum JC Tretter \u201913, who played<\/a> 111 games in the league over the course of eight seasons, previously served as president of the union, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are times in your life when you know that you are exactly where you\u2019re supposed to be. That\u2019s where I am today,\u201d Tretter said in a statement<\/a> announcing his new position in March 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful for the trust my fellow players have placed in me, and I\u2019m going to reward that trust with my fullest commitment to these players and chart a new course for our union. My sole goal is to build up the strength of the NFLPA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"JC
Playing for the Big Red against Harvard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Also a high school basketball star in his Western New York hometown, Tretter started off as a tight end for the Big Red<\/a>, lettering his first two seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a sophomore, he was notable for catching a 27-yard touchdown pass during an away game against Columbia\u2014one of only two catches that season greater than 20 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switching to left tackle for his junior season entailed putting on pounds of muscle, which required not only hours in the gym but constant calorie consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a sophomore, Tretter was notable for catching a 27-yard touchdown pass during an away game against Columbia\u2014one of only two catches that season greater than 20 yards.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And it paid off: Tretter\u2019s performance for the Big Red earned him numerous honors, including unanimous selection to the All-Ivy First Team as a senior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fourth-round pick (122nd overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft, Tretter was an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers from 2014\u201317\u2014his rookie season was lost to injury\u2014then moved to the Cleveland Browns until his retirement in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was inducted into<\/a> the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"JC
Speaking at his Hall of Fame induction dinner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter I left Cornell, I\u2019ve never felt like I\u2019ve worked,\u201d he recalled in an ILR story<\/a> about his return to campus for the induction ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFootball was fun. And the last year and a half of my life, working with the NFLPA full time, has not felt like a job to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tretter was an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers from 2014\u201317, then moved to the Cleveland Browns until his retirement in 2022.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tretter served two terms as NFLPA president\u2014including during the COVID pandemic, which upended pro sports along with other in-person events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having retired from the Browns, Tretter wasn\u2019t eligible for a third term, as election to the presidency (and other offices on the NFLPA\u2019s Board of Player Representatives) is open only to current players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As executive director, he\u2019s the union\u2019s principal administrative officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"JC
Greeting the crowd during halftime at Schoellkopf in fall 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI understand the responsibility that comes with this role and how important it is to stand shoulder\u2011to\u2011shoulder with player leadership,\u201d Tretter said in the statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis union has always played a critical role in shaping the game, and that work is as important now as it\u2019s ever been. The NFLPA needs leadership that listens, leads with integrity, and puts players first every day. That\u2019s exactly how I plan to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tretter\u2019s Cornellian family includes a fellow Big Red football player\u2014uncle David Tretter \u201978\u2014and an older sister, CALS alum Katherine Tretter \u201911.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Top photo by Erik Drost. All other images courtesy of Big Red Athletics.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published March 30, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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JC Tretter \u201913, a past offensive lineman with the Packers and Browns, previously served as the organization\u2019s president<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":69332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-69518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni"],"yoast_head":"\nNFL Players\u2019 Union Taps Former Big Red Star as Executive Director - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"JC Tretter \u201913, a past offensive lineman with the Packers and Browns, previously served as the organization\u2019s president\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/tretter-nfl-players-union\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NFL Players\u2019 Union Taps Former Big Red Star as Executive Director - 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