"At trial, LaPierre confirmed that under the May 2018 contract, even in the event of his departure from the NRA, he would receive aggregate payments of $17 million for years after his departure, a staggering “golden parachute” arrangement."
A 12 day trial in Texas federal bankruptcy court marked the first time NRA executives were examined and cross-examined in open court related to the financial scandals that have engulfed the NRA for the past three years.
nrawatch.org
Could it be that he would not receive a golden parachute if convicted in court, and that is why he is stepping down just ahead of the trial starting?
The 'health reasons' mentioned in the press release being "It would severely impact my mental health if I did not get a final $17 million from the members I have fleeced for decades"