The NFL players' union is advising its members to prepare for a lockout it expects to come in March, telling players to save their last three game checks this year in case there is no season in 2011. In a letter to the players that was seen by The Associated Press, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said the union had an "internal deadline" for agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement. "That deadline has now passed," he wrote. "It is important that you protect yourself and your family." The letter was dated Wednesday, and copies were strewn across a table in the New England Patriots locker room during the media availability on Saturday. After a reporter asked players about the letter, a Patriots spokesman flipped the copies face-down. The one-page letter on NFLPA stationery said the union expects the lockout to come on March 4, and that players should work with their advisers to prepare for an impending lack of income. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5882717
