The NFL Players Association is taking steps that would allow players to authorize the de-certification of the union and avoid a lockout in March, reports Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal.

"We have started to hand out voting cards to players authorizing us pursuant to the CBA to take action with respect to the NFLPA’s bargaining status prior to the CBA’s expiration on March 3, 2011," the union wrote in a letter to its members and obtained by the SportsBusiness Journal. "The cards will allow us to maximize the protection of your interests and rights when the CBA expires."

The SBJ adds that the New Orleans Saints players have already voted to authorize the NFLPA to decertify, which would allow the NFLPA to sue the NFL under United States anti-trust laws if a lockout is attempted next March.

For more on the letter, the votes, and the implications, click here.