DETROIT – Major League Baseball is returning to action, with the Detroit Tigers gearing up to take on the New York Yankees in Spring Training.
But an ex-Tigers star is out of a job: the former head of the MLB Players Association, who spent seven years with Detroit, resigned from his position over a relationship with his sister-in-law, per reports.
Recommended Videos
According to ESPN Senior MLB Insider Jeff Passan, Tony Clark resigned on Tuesday (Feb. 17) as head of the players’ union because an internal investigation revealed he had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who had been hired by the union in 2023.
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
Passan announced on Wednesday, Feb. 18, on X that Bruce Meyer was unanimously elected interim executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Meyer, previously the union’s deputy executive director and lead negotiator, becomes the union’s sixth executive director.
BREAKING: Bruce Meyer has been unanimously elected as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, sources tell ESPN. Meyer, who was previously the No. 2 at the union, becomes the sixth executive director in the union’s history.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 19, 2026
The 72 players on the union’s executive board elected Meyer in an interim capacity.
He will remain in charge of collective bargaining negotiations as the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires Dec. 1, 2026.
Tony Clark
Clark resigned amid a federal investigation into financial improprieties linked to the MLBPA’s business ventures, including a group licensing firm started with the NFLPA and a youth baseball initiative called “Players Way.”
The investigation began after a whistleblower complaint was filed with the Department of Labor in November 2024, focusing on alleged misuse of profits and potential obstruction.
Clark’s resignation comes at a critical time with the CBA set to expire Dec. 1, raising the likelihood of a lockout.
Reports indicate that players are meeting via Zoom to discuss the leadership transition and the union’s future direction.
The upcoming collective bargaining negotiations are expected to be contentious, with Major League Baseball owners pushing for a salary cap, a move the players have historically opposed.
The leadership change adds uncertainty to the negotiations, but the union aims to project strength amid potential lockouts and labor disputes.
After negotiations altered the start of the 2022 season, this round is expected to be even more contentious, as owners seek to implement a salary cap—something players strongly oppose.
Many believe the 2027 MLB season will be cut short, if not wiped out altogether, over this CBA.
Detroit Tigers career
Clark played first base for the Tigers from 1995 to 2001, hitting 156 home runs and batting .277 across 772 games.
He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1996, was a top-20 MVP candidate in 1997, and made an All-Star game in 2001.
During a 15-year career that ended after the 2009 season, Clark played for the Tigers, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Diego Padres.
The switch-hitting All-Star who threw right-handed was a union representative during his time in the show before joining the MLBPA full-time in 2010.
Clark was the deputy executive director and acting executive director of the players’ union before being appointed executive director in December 2013, making him the first former player to serve as executive director of the MLBPA, a role he held until his resignation.