The world of Major League Baseball has been rocked following the sudden resignation of Tony Clark, the former executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) who served in the role for more than 12 years. But it’s not for the reason everyone believed at first.
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According to ESPN, Clark abruptly resigned after an internal investigation revealed an “inappropriate relationship” with his sister-in-law, who the union hired in 2023. She worked in the association’s Arizona office.
The alleged affair came to light as Clark, who is married to his wife Frances Clark, was at the center of a federal probe led by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman. The investigation centered upon the union’s finances and dealings stemming from a whistleblower’s complaint filed against Clark with the National Labor Relations Board in Nov. 2024. According to the complaint. Clark is being accused of “self-dealing, misuse of resources, abuse of power, and nepotism.”
On Tuesday (Feb. 16) evening, the union announced Clark’s resignation in an official statement.
“The full executive board of Player representatives met this afternoon with MLBPA staff and outside counsel to discuss next steps; as always, the Players remain focused on their ongoing preparations for collective bargaining this year,” the statement read.
“The strength of this union is — and will always be — the solidarity of our membership,” the union’s statement continued. “We have a long history of fighting for the rights of every Player, and we’re committed to making sure we can continue that fight successfully.”
In the wake of the scandal, Bruce Myers, the No. 2 union official, was unanimously elected as interim executive director.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Clark’s departure comes at a critical juncture, as the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is set to expire on Dec. 1, 2026, with high-stakes negotiations expected to begin this spring. If a deal is not agreed upon, there could be a lockout.
Before beginning his executive career with the MLBPA in 2014, and getting caught up in a humongous scandal, Clark played 15 years in the majors from 1995 to 2009 and made one All-Star team. In Dec. 2016, Clark led negotiations that resulted in an agreement between the players and owners on a five-year labor contract.
The deal was agreed upon just three-and-a-half hours before the prior deal was set to expire. Clark also led successful negotiations in March of 2022 after a near-100-day lockout.
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