With the NFL and NFLPA beginning, in essence, press tours to drum up pressure and support amidst the league's labor strife, a former Buffalo Bills great is getting in on the fight.
Bruce Smith, along with fellow Hall of Fame player Jack Youngblood, sent a letter to all 32 NFL owners a week prior to Super Bowl XLV asking them to avoid a lockout at all costs. The letter was recently obtained by the Associated Press.
"As former players, it is crystal clear that the vast popularity and financial success of football means that a lock out cannot be in the interest of anybody involved, particularly the fans who support the game," Youngblood and Smith wrote. "We understand the need for both sides to create pressure, but also know that at times it is important to decrease tenor and tone in order for the right deal to be made in a non-emotional atmosphere."