WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- If declining TV ratings are a problem for the NFL, its players would like to know what can be done about them.
NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith told ESPN on Saturday that he has recently met with executives at several of the league's broadcast partners, including CBS, NBC and Fox, to discuss issues related to the game. Entering his 10th year as leader of the players' union, Smith is looking ahead to the next round of collective bargaining negotiations and wants the players to have a greater voice in what he describes as the league's "macroeconomic" issues, including the way it presents itself to the public.