MILWAUKEE -- Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers plans to talk to teammate Charles Woodson at a charity event Friday about preparing offseason workouts for the Green Bay Packers while the NFL lockout closes in on a third month.
"We're going to put something together here, because it looks like it's going to go a little bit longer, so it's going to be important for us to get together," Rodgers told Fox Sports Wisconsin on Thursday night.
Rodgers didn't provide potential dates or locations of the workouts.
He was in Milwaukee to throw out the first pitch at Miller Park before the Brewers took on the New York Mets. He wore a No. 12 Brewers jersey and tossed a perfect pitch to good friend Ryan Braun.
Rodgers declined to speak to reporters before the game, but he joined the televised broadcast in the top of the fourth inning, and he talked mostly about the Brewers and Wisconsin sports. He answered a few questions about the unresolved labor dispute and said it's time for the Packers players to organize their own workouts soon.
"If this lockout persists, we're going to get together," he said. "Guys have gotten some great work individually, some have gotten together in groups of two or three. There's a lot of guys kind of in the same area working out, but at some point we're going to have to get together."
Rodgers said he'd definitely be involved in any planned activity, and he'll get a chance to talk with his teammates in person when the Packers will receive their Super Bowl rings in a private ceremony next Thursday.
The Packers have received permission from the NFL to hold the ceremony despite the lockout, which began March 12.
Rodgers said he's optimistic about the Packers' future that general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have built -- whenever the season begins.
"I think we're just reloading," Rodgers said. "We're bringing guys back off the injured reserve list, I like our draft. Ted Thompson has proven he's able to draft a lot of talented guys. You look at our roster, the majority of them were drafted by him and brought up in coach McCarthy's system and playing big roles for us."
Rodgers said he has spent the offseason working out and playing golf when he can during his time at home in California.
The organization decided to hold a private ring ceremony following a public celebration two days after their 31-25 Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in February. Green Bay also plans to stage another event when the Packers host the New Orleans Saints in the regular-season opener Sept. 8.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
