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More than a dozen players representing the NFL Players Association blitzed Capitol Hill, meeting with more than 30 members of Congress, Politico reported.

Lawmakers meeting with the players included Sens. Scott Brown, R-Mass., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Mark Warner, D-Va., and Reps. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, Steve Scalise, R-La., and Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio.

The athletes warned of dire economic impacts on NFL cities should players and team owners fail to agree on a new contract by a March 3 deadline, after which a lockout would likely be imposed and the 2011 season put in jeopardy.

"It's important for people to understand that it's not just the players and the owners, it's communities that will be affected", Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Davin Joseph told Politico.

The players didn't make any explicit requests for lawmakers to put pressure on owners through its oversight of NFL's antitrust exemption, the publication said.

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