NFL players go to the Hill about contract

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- A group of 25 NFL players has gone to Congress about a possible lock-out during negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

The group included 20 active and five retired players, including NFL Players Union President and Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae and Philadelphia Eagles place-kicker David Akers.

"We're just letting the members of Congress know that we are not trying to walk away from the game, that we want to play," Akers said after an eight-hour meeting Wednesday with more than a dozen members of Congress. "We're just trying to make sure that they know what issues are out there and that the players are united to do whatever we can to have a fair negotiation with the owners, so that we can keep this great product on the field."

The members of Congress included Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis.