NFL players lobby Congress in battles with league

WASHINGTON -- Pro football players sought lawmakers' help Wednesday in preventing NFL owners from imposing a lockout after next season and said a league victory in a Supreme Court antitrust case could affect free agency and ticket prices.

"We want Congress to know that management is pushing us toward a lockout," said Kevin Mawae, the union president and one of about 30 current and former players who were on Capitol Hill.

A league official said the players' time would be better spent negotiating with the owners than lobbying Congress.

Mawae, a Tennessee Titans center, hopes Congress will exert its leverage over the league to help prevent a lockout, which players fear the owners plan to do following the 2010 season. He cited comments by New York Giants co-owner John Mara to The New York Times this week that the two sides might be moving further apart in negotiations for a new deal.

Owners contend the existing agreement, which calls for players to receive about 60 percent of revenues, is too favorable for players.

League Vice President Joe Browne said in an e-mail that the union's new executive director, DeMaurice Smith, won election on a platform "that included 'using' Congress to exert influence on our labor talks. Kevin's comments -- and the visits by dozens of players to the Hill today -- are consistent with that promise. The owners and players are going to negotiate a deal. The only question is when. Having the union and its player reps spending more time in the negotiating room and less time lobbying Congress would be a good start."

The players also brought up a Supreme Court case in which the NFL argues it should be considered one business when it comes to selling NFL-branded items. The court heard arguments on the case last week.

Apparel maker American Needle claims that the league's exclusive contract with Reebok International Ltd. for headgear violated antitrust laws.

"A judgment in favor of the NFL could severely damage the system that we've had in place for the last 20-something years," Mawae said, predicting such a decision could affect free agency for players and help owners control ticket prices. He planned to testify before a congressional committee late Wednesday.

Browne said that during last week's hearing, not one justice made a reference to ticket prices or player movements or labor, except for one comment about how much money players make.

"The American Needle case concerns the licensing of intellectual property," he said.

The players held meetings with Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democratic leader; Sen. Herb Kohl, a Wisconsin Democrat who heads the Senate Judiciary's antitrust subcommittee; Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., who's chairman of the House Judiciary Committee; and Rep. Ed Towns, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The players included Washington Redskins wide receiver Antwaan Randle El, St. Louis Rams center Jason Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch and Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas.