NFLPA hires campaign veteran Singer

The NFL Players Association late last year hired political communications expert Phil Singer as a consultant, two political sources said last week.

Singer, a former adviser to the Hillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign and Andrew Cuomo’s successful 2010 New York gubernatorial run, did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment. His company is Marathon Strategies.
The NFLPA declined to comment.

One of the sources said the union was seeking both a Republican and a Democratic consultant late last year when it was approaching firms about the work.

Under Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, the NFLPA has engaged in a political lobbying strategy to counter the NFL, including several lobbying trips to Capitol Hill by players, but it has not been public knowledge that the union had retained an experienced Washington consultant to aid in political endeavors.

The collective-bargaining agreement in football expires next week, with the two sides far apart and both engaged in a public relations battle.