NFLPA reaches out to political leaders

GREEN BAY - A possible NFL players lockout is now less than 100 days away.

And the players union is hoping to put the pressure on team owners by sending letters to politicians, like Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt, to get them involved.

The letters were sent out Monday to mayors, governors and governor-elects in NFL communities asking them to contact the teams. The message-- tell them to get involved in "meaningful dialogue" with the players union in order to work out a new contract and avoid a costly lockout of players.

• Click here to read the letters.

"Should you be playing a role in this?” we asked.

" No I have--look, I'm not going to get in the middle of millionaires arguing with billionaires when our average income is $56,000 in this community," said Schmitt.

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt says he's been contacted by both the NFL Players Association and those representing the NFL Owners.

"We don't want a lockout but we're not going to take one side over the other," Schmitt said.

And while he doesn't feel it's his place to get involved, George Atallah of the players association says it is Green Bay that stands to lose millions of dollars in football related spending if a lockout occurs in March.

"I think they're already involved and (sending these letters out) is a way to remind them there's 100 days to go before agreement expires," said Atallah.

Earlier this month the players association targeted members of Congress trying to get them to write letters to team owners. A packers spokesman says to date they are not aware of any letters being received.

Packers President Mark Murphy offered no comment for this story, but last month he told me he's hopeful a new collective bargaining agreement would be reached before March.

"Our primary emphasis is to get an agreement with the players that's our top priority we're working at it," said Murphy last month.

The NFL responded to the letter writing campaign saying "we can resolve our own issues" on everything from sharing NFL revenues, to adding additional games. But the league says the players association has to want to participate.

The players association maintains local communities and even fans have an active stake in a new deal too.

"I do think they can have a voice and make an impact and way we can do that is to rally people together," Atallah said.

So how can fans get involved? The union encourages people to go to the website NFLLockout.com and sign a petition against a lockout.

As for negotiations between the players and owners, we're told both sides still remain pretty far apart on the issues.